ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to establish special tribunals to get state land and government houses worth trillions of rupees vacated, as promised by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

       A presidential ordinance would be promulgated soon to set up the special tribunals, said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday.

       “President Dr Arif Alvi is set to promulgate the ordinance under which special tribunals will be established,” he said when contacted by Dawn.

       Mr Chaudhry said that under the ordinance not only would illegally occupied lands and properties of the federal government be vacated but heavy fines would be imposed on the land grabbers.

       Panels to be set up in the federal capital initially and then replicated in the provinces run by PTI

       The tribunals would initially be set up in the federal capital and later the process would be replicated in provinces, especially in the ones being ruled by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf — namely, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

       Prime Minister Khan has repeatedly said that retrieving state properties and lands from land grabbers was a priority of his government.

       The government has already got various pieces of state land vacated in various parts of the federal capital, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

       The government has also served notices on the military authorities — in the army, navy and air force to vacate land of the Capital Development Authority on the right of way of Khyaban-i-Iqbal, commonly known as Margalla Road, and the National Park area.

       Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2021