Lal Haveli likely to be vacated

RAWALPINDI: The Evacuee Trust Properties Board (ETPB) has decided to vacate Rawalpindi’s historic Lal Haveli, the residence of former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed, ARY News reported on Thursday.

According to details, the Evacuee Trust Properties Board (ETPB) has prepared a strategy to vacate Lal Haveli within 24 hours.

In this regard, the department has sought assistance from law enforcement agencies (LEAs) – Rangers, police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Meanwhile, former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and nephew Rashid Shafiq announced to resist the Haveli’s evacuation.

In October last year, a district and sessions court in Rawalpindi accepted Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and his brother Sheikh Sadeeq Ahmed’s plea challenging the eviction order of the civil judge for his Lal Haveli residence.

The Rawalpindi court nullified the civil judge’s verdict and approved the plea of Sheikh Rasheed. The judge referred the case to the civil court for conducting the hearing again.

Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) ordered Awami Muslim League (AML) chief, Sheikh Rasheed, to vacate Lal Haveli within seven days.

The ETPB in its verdict said former minister and his brother have ‘illegally’ occupied seven properties including Lal Haveli. Both the APML chief and his brother failed to present relevant documents about the property despite several chances.

Lal Haveli belonged to a Hindu woman prior to partition and was converted into Sheikh Rasheed’s political office in 1980 after he entered parliamentary politics.

This is not the first time Rasheed receives ETPB’s notice as he had claimed to receive an eviction notice in October 2016.