Rawalpindi: Justice Sadiq Muhammad Khurram of the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench has overturned the sentences issued by the Anti-Corruption Court Rawalpindi. The court ordered the release of Haq Nawaz Abbasi, Raja Shahid Ahmed, Tehsildar Malik Safdar and Patwari Aurangzeb.
In its detailed verdict, the honorable court stated that, according to the forensic report, there was no overwriting or tampering with the documents. Without evidence of forgery, the prosecution’s claim of document manipulation was baseless.
The verdict further mentioned that, according to the revenue records, no fraud was detected in the land transactions. The official revenue record did not support any claims of forgery or illegal acquisition of land, while the seller’s son confirmed that his late father had legally sold the land.
The judgment also pointed out that if fraud had been committed, the accused would have sold the land before the matter came to light, rather than keeping it for 16 years. Furthermore, the 16-year gap weakened the prosecution’s claim that the accused had illegally obtained the land.
The court questioned why the case was filed only after the seller’s death and asked the prosecution why they had waited until after his passing to initiate legal proceedings. This delay cast doubts on the credibility of the complainant, Nisar Ahmad Afzal, who is himself involved in multiple fraudulent activities in Pakistan and England.
Given these circumstances, the court acquitted all the accused honorably and nullified the decision of Anti-Corruption Court Judge Ali Nawaz Bukhar.
It is noteworthy that the Anti-Corruption Court had sentenced the accused to a total of 58 years in prison last year under sections 468, 471, and 420. The complainant, Nisar Ahmad Afzal, had filed a case with the Anti-Corruption Department, alleging the illegal transfer of ownership of 2,000 kanals of land in Moza Rajar.
