Miani Sahib graveyard case: LHC orders Secretary services to appear before court

The Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Wednesday sought personal appearance of secretary services after showing its displeasure over a report submitted about removal of encroachments in the Miani Sahib Graveyard (MSG). The Secretary Services, Sikandar Sultan Raza, on Tuesday had filed his report saying a sub-committee would be formed to verify the claims of those who were presently occupying the land of the graveyard.
Member (Colonies) BoR, Executive District Officer (Revenue), Deputy District Officer (Revenue), and Secretary MSGC would be its members. The court observed that forming a sub-committee is clear violation of court's earlier order as any person who is sitting or encroached even a single inch owned by the graveyard is encroacher and his status is illegal. The court also said the audit report is incomplete and auditor must take over all record of graveyard committee and do job strictly in terms of court's order.
The court was hearing a petition filed by a former member MSG Syed Muhammad Shah, challenging the sale of a land of Miani Sahib Graveyard to the LDA and encroachments on the land of the graveyard. The petitioner sought court intervention to conduct audit of MSGC's accounts that had not been done since its formation in 1958.
Earlier, in this case a court deputed audit firm had confirmed serious financial irregularities in the accounts of Miani Sahib Graveyard Committee. The report also revealed irregularities in the demarcation of the graveyard's land. Now the court has directed the audit firm to compile a report regarding income and expenditures of Anjuman Rifa-e-Ama Mozang and Anjuman Qasria & Rizvia.
The court also directed the audit firm to get its audit report endorsed by the government and report to the court. In his petition Shah sought directions to member colonies to visit graveyard and get illegal constructions removed from the land of the graveyard. Petitioner said he had also been a member of the MSGC from 1985 to 2005. A committee member told him that the LDA was trying to occupy a part of the graveyard.
He said that according to a colonies department order issued on January 22, 2005, 3 kanals, 18 marlas and 275 square feet state land in Mozang was sold to the LDA at Rs 360,000 per marla for further allotment to 81 shopkeepers/victims of Chowk Chauburji Wasa drain. The petitioner said the sale was against the Punjab Graveyards (Reservations and Maintenance) Act, 1958 and the Miani Sahib Graveyard Ordinance, 1962, which defined the graveyard's boundary.