Another attempt to encroach land worth Rs10 bn

ISLAMABAD: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) in an alleged violation of Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) verdict has once again made an attempt in second week of May 2019 to encroach upon a piece of land worth over Rs10 billion in Cantt area. The land is owned by Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) which runs Flashman’s hotel there.

The Cantonment Board administration when contacted has contradicted the claim and said the board has not encroached any land. However, documents available with The News contradicts the Cantonment Board’s administration’s claim. According to an official letter from Station Headquarter 10 Corp Rawalpindi a private contractor one Syed Jamil Abbas from Mandi Baha Ud Din was given a contract for erecting barbed wire on vacant land.

The letter written by the then Station Commander to the contractor dated June 27, 2016 says, “It is intimated that Headquarters 10 Corps (Through Brig Adm) has instructed that the Commander desires to replicate the model of Car Parking already being managed at 31 The Mall for the vacant land at survey No 369/17, measuring 2151 square yards, situated at Haider Road and Bank Road junction Rawalpindi Cantt.”

“Above in view, you are requested to ensure following, (a) - secure the area by erecting barbed wire around the land, (b) – install proper gates for entry/exit with proper checking arrangements, (c) – level the ground for parking where ever required, (d) – install security lights all around, (e) – forward comprehensive proposal for establishing state of the art car parking at the earliest. Rawalpindi Cantt Board Only. Necessary assistance may be provided to the contractor, please”, reads the letter.

After this letter, the contractor on the directives of the Cantonment board erected fence just one foot outside the hotel’s land. The hotel has 18 kanal and 6 Marla land on Bank Road Rawalpindi Cant. The land is worth billions of rupee and due to this fence the entrance to this land blocked.

The hotel management took up the matter with authorities concerned and wrote a letter to the then Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. The hotel management also took the matter to Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench. Once the court took up the matter, the board stopped further action on it.

However, in second week of May 2019 once again the Cantonment Board attempted to encroach the land. Through a private contractor the cantonment board piled up bricks inside the fence on Bank Road side which is 300 feet long. The bricks have been piled up on the hotel’s land. The hotel management once again took up the matter with the Cantt authorities who assured that they are not encroaching the land but due to security reasons they are doing this for car parking.

The hotel management recently has moved the court against the Cantonment Board’s administration for contempt of court as the court had granted stay order on this land in June 2019. However despite the stay order the administration of cantonment board has made an attempt to encroach the land again.

The Administration of one of the oldest and famous hotels of the twin-cities, Flashman's, had moved the court against Rawalpindi Cantonment Board in 2016 as the later wants state of the art parking facility on land worth over Rs10 billion owned by Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). The PTDC runs Flashman's Hotel.

Details reveal that Flashman's Hotel is situated at the prime location on the Mall Road, Saddar, Rawalpindi Cantt, and its area is 9.34 acres. The PTDC owns 86.82 % of its shares while 13.18 % shareholders are private citizens. A piece of land measuring 18 kanal-6 marla belonging to the hotel is lying vacant because after the demolition of flight kitchen and staff quarters from the area, the PTDC runs short of money to erect marquees on the site. The manager of the hotel was called by the Station Headquarters officials and was asked to sign a deal regarding parking facility construction at the aforementioned plot belonging to the PTDC.

On July 16, 2016, Flashman’s Manager Ashfaq Ahmad wrote a letter to the Station Headquarters, Rawalpindi, and stated: “Thanking you very much for the courtesy extended to undersigned when I called on you as desired by your good office regarding apprising you about the legal status of our plot No 56, located on Haider Road-Bank Road, Rawalpindi Saddar. As I briefed you during the course of meeting that the status of plot is sub judice in court of law and moreover now-a-days there is a managing director in PTDC; therefore, undersigned is absolutely in no position even to consider any initiative about the future plan of this plot.

"However, I informed my administrative ministry, which is the Cabinet Division, about the plan/intentions of the Station Headquarters so that they can take up the case with the Ministry of Defense for some amicable solution. Today, I was informed by our security staff that some civilian contractor is (sic) carrying out some construction work at our plot. I immediately sent my security manager to visit the site and report back on the situation. He informed me that he tried to convince the contractor to stop the work immediately, but he refused and kept on insisting that he will only obey the orders of the Station Headquarters, Rawalpindi. Keeping in view the fragility/sensitivity of the situation you are requested to kindly instruct the relevant quarters to immediately stop the construction work; otherwise, we would have no other option but to seek legal remedies.”

According to the hotel management, it has moved the court because it got the said land evaluated, and it is worth over Rs10 billion. The management further said that another court had issued a stay order against interference in the possession of the land. The hotel management is in the courts since 1996 against the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board.