Sheikh Rashid challenges operation to seal Lal Haveli in LHC
Former federal interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Monday contended that the legal action taken to seal his iconic Rawalpindi residence, Lal Haveli, by The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) was just a ruse and the that the true objective was to arrest him just like leaders of his allied Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI) in a bid to silence him.
Ahmed has also gone to the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court to challenge the ETPB’s actions. Advocate Sardar Raziq Khan will represent him.
At 11 a.m., a hearing on Ahmed’s petition was scheduled.
Ahmed previously stated to the media that he would take the matter to court and stated that he had not received any notice from the Auqaf department.
He confirmed that Lal Haveli was not present during the operation and that he had been sealed completely.
According to him, “Sealing Lal Haveli is an act of fascism and terrorism, and the authorities purposely came to arrest me but I was able to evade them.” This was in contrast to the claims made by the ETPB, which stated that neither Ahmed nor his sister could produce documents establishing their claim to the property.
He declared, “Lal Haveli is my property, and if Lal Haveli is not my personal property, then hang me on the square [chowk],” noting that “the authorities are trying to divert the public’s attention from the real issues.”
He went on to say that a case about who owns the Lal Haveli has already been scheduled to be heard on February 15 and that sealing the property is illegal until the court hearings are over.
