Pakistani woman deprived of justice asks to be sent to India

A Pakistani woman frustrated by the unending litigation to get her property back from land-grabbers even after more than three decades on Tuesday asked a high court to send her to India.

Syeda Shehnaz, a resident of Sheikhupura district in Punjab, has been running from pillar to post to get back her 5-Marla property, which was snatched by influential people some 35 years ago, Samaa TV reported.

45-year old Shehnaz, crestfallen and totally devastated by the judicial system of the country, asked the Lahore High Court (LHC) to order the authorities to issue her Indian visa after giving up hope that her case would ever conclude.

The LHC Chief Justice Ameer Bhatti was hearing the case when the strange request was made by the petitioner.

Narrating her ordeal, Shehnaz said that the matter has been in litigation for the past 35 years. She was only 9 when the case started. She also told the court that was forced to live in a rented house in Sheikhpura.

“Hopeless that she would ever retain possession of her property, the petitioner pleaded with the court to order the government to send her to India,” according to Samaa.

At this, the chief justice remarked that he did not have the authority to order an institution to issue India’s visa to the applicant.

According to Shehnaz, the land mafia had occupied 13 marlas vacated by a Hindu family that had moved to India and she took the issue to the chief settlement commissioner who had summoned documents regarding property from the respondents, the Express Tribune reported.

As per documents, the land was illegally occupied and the commissioner cancelled the land deed registered in 1960 as the respondents had not paid the government to acquire the property, the report said.

Subsequently, Shehnaz had been allotted a five-marla piece of land by the commissioner after the payment of dues. The transfer of five marlas in her name angered the accused party who took over her house in retaliation.

Shehnaz told the court that she might get killed if the case was transferred to the LHC Bahawalpur bench and prayed the court to transfer her case to the principal seat of the high court.

However, the bench summoned replies from the respondents on the transfer of the case.

Pakistan’s judicial system has failed to provide justice and complaints of corruption and lengthy litigations are common. The example of Shehnaz is one of so many but it is a rare instance that someone sought court help to settle in India after failing to get justice in Pakistan.