Authorities suspend anti-encroachment drive in Lahore

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LAHORE: The anti-encroachment drive against land mafia was suspended by the district administration in Lahore on Saturday.

The decision to halt the drive was taken after the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday.

“Operation will commence keeping the current situation in view and will be conducted in an unbiased manner,” said Lahore Deputy Commissioner Anwarul Haq.

“Property worth Rs6.5 billion has been retrieved during the drive,” he added.

“The operation will commence again in a few days,” he elaborated.

The anti-enroachment drive against land mafia was initiated after the Supreme Court directed authorities to place Malik Mansha Khokhar, also known as Mansha Bomb, on the Exit Control List (ECL).

25 showrooms and 20 commercial plots were recovered from Mansha Bomb by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) within the first two days of the drive.

According to the LDA, a total of 280 acres of forest department land, close to 32,000 kanals of state land and eight plot in the Walled City were expected to be retrieved in the operation. The list also included 32 plots of Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) land and 646 kanals of land owned by the LDA.