CJP requested to help family of deceased professor

LONDON: Pakistani entrepreneur and community activist Tarab Raja has thanked Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar for meeting him and listening to him about the case of a deceased Pakistani professor who worked in London and whose property in Lahore has been occupied by an influential group of land mafia.

Tarab Raja met the chief justice during his visit to London and requested him to look into the case of the former professor’s family who have been trying to get justice but to no avail. Tarab Raja met the chief justice and explained to him how his professor’s assets were taken over by a group and how his children have failed to get justice because they are so poor that that they can’t afford legal fees.

The chief justice instructed his staff to take the file and assured that his office will look into the case on merit. Adnan Ahmed Khan, based in Lahore, had previously appealed to Justice Saqib Nisar to help him get back his father’s property which he alleges was occupied some 20 years ago by an influential group using deceit and violence. He had written to the human rights cell of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, requesting the chief justice to consider his case as the appellant doesn’t have means to fight his case in civil courts which involve heavy fees to lawyers and lengthy delays.

Adnan’s father Professor Muhammad Ajmal Khan was a renowned teacher in London’s famous Chelsea College where he taught physics, including to lots of British Pakistani children. A group of his former students, headed by Tarab Raja, is now trying to help his family by campaigning to get his family’s case heard.

Tarab Raja said that the group wants Pakistani authorities to look into the case and help the family get justice. He said: “Adnan Ahmed Khan is a resident of E Block Tajpura Scheme Lahore Cantt. His father late Professor Muhammad Ajmal Khan was an educated man who had been teaching in Britain. He returned to Pakistan for the love of his country and started career in education department. He became vice principal of University of Science and Education Township Lahore and retired in 1993. He started cultivation on his 920 kanal of land situated in Bhago tehsil Muridke, district Sheikhupura. He had another property house in Lahore, a three-storey building including ten-bed rooms in the property.”

Tarab said that after the death of Professor Khan, one Abdul Hameed Khan, who was appointed as caretaker of said property, got ownership using forged documents and another person Ashiq Butter s/o Muhammad Sharif got possession by another forged document for the agricultural land of Bhago, district Sheikhupura.

Adnan’s father divorced his mother in 1995 and nobody was there legally able to sign the transfer of the land owned by his father. It’s understood that Abdul Hameed got fake documents and transferred the property in his name and Adnan came to know of this when he was seriously ill and fighting for his life on bed.

Tarab Raja said that he has handed over his teacher’s file to the office of the CJP and hopes that justice will be done and authorities will take a mercy on the victims. After the demise of Professor Ajmal Khan in 1997, Ahmed and his two minor sisters were unable to take care of their father’s property located in Urdu Bazaar, Lahore and their mother appointed Abdul Hameed, a tenant in the area, as caretaker.

Papers seen by this reporter show that it was impossible for Adnan to sell the property as it was never transferred to him or his sisters and remained in the name of their deceased father. Both Abdul Hameed Khan and his sister Farida Afzal rejected the allegations.

Khan’s son Abdul Samad maintained that Adnan sold the property in question in 2000 against a lump sum payment of Rs4,500,000. When asked if there was any proof that Adnan had received payments, Abdul Samad and his father failed to provide any proof of payment to Adnan. When asked how Adnan could sell property when he was young and legally not allowed to do so, Abdul Samad said he cannot comment further. Adnan says that it was impossible for them to provide any proof of a payment since they never paid.