The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on Monday sealed former interior minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid’s Lal Haveli residence in Rawalpindi over “illegal occupation”.
According to ETPB Deputy Commissioner Asif Khan, two units of the Lal Haveli and five adjoining units were sealed after teams of the board along with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrived at the spot early morning today.
Khan said Rashid’s ownership of these Lal Haveli units had been cancelled over illegal occupation of land. Several notices had also been issued to Rashid and his brother in this regard, he added.
Meanwhile, the former minister has claimed that Lal Haveli was his “personal property” and a “central secretariat for public service”.
The ex-minister tweeted that he did not receive a notice prior to the action, adding sealing Lal Haveli was an act of fascism and terrorism.
“If it is proven that Lal Haveli is not our personal property, we should be declared national criminals,” Rashid said, claiming that the government took this step after it failed to find anything against him.
He went on to say that a case pertaining to the ownership of the Lal Haveli was already fixed for hearing on February 15.
In a press conference later today, Rashid said that authorities had planned to arrest him but he managed to escape.
“I was told that my ownership of Lal Haveli was of 3.5 marlas and not four marlas. These are all lies […] even if you try to touch the Lal Haveli, I will give a call and block the Murree Road,” he warned.
The ex-minister revealed that he was approached by several international directors who wanted to make a movie on Lal Haveli. “They have even offered me copyrights and this is what is bothering the government.”
If any FIA officer tried to step into the territory of Lal Haveli, Rashid continued, “we will exercise our constitutional right to fight for our property”.
“We are going to the high court now […] we will tell them that if this property is not proven to be ours, then we should be disqualified,” he stated, alleging that ETPB’s Khan was the “front man” of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.
