Dr Hina Awan has appealed to Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene after alleged forcible occupation of her commercial premises in Rawalpindi. She says the incident constitutes a serious violation of her property rights and is seeking immediate action to recover the site and return stolen items.
Dr Awan says her husband legally purchased a plot on Ring Road in June 2021 and established a car workshop, investing significant funds to begin operations. The family also maintained a lawful collection of rare animals, including birds and dogs. After business slowed, workshop operations were suspended in 2023 and machinery was secured on the premises. A nephew’s company office was also operating from the same compound, and an employee, Faiz Ahmad Asif Butt, lived there to provide security.
According to Dr Awan, on a night in January 2026 at around 11pm, some 30 to 40 armed individuals abruptly attacked the compound. The attackers were later identified as Raja Saqib, Irfan Ullah Jan and Shoaib Abbasi, who she alleges were operating under the direction of Imran Ilyas, described as the nephew of an influential local political figure. The assailants allegedly assaulted a visitor, Danish Mehmood, who had come to buy a dog, and the on-site guard, Faiz Ahmad Asif Butt. Both sustained serious injuries; medico-legal certificates were produced to confirm their wounds.
Dr Awan reports that the attackers also committed robbery, seizing Rs 50,000 in cash and forcibly taking Mr Butt’s motorcycle (registration 864-RIK) and mobile phones. When family members arrived after receiving a report of the attack, they found police already stationed outside the compound. They say officers directed them to Naseerabad police station instead of securing the site or detaining the intruders.
At the police station, Dr Awan says the armed men openly claimed false ownership of the premises and that officers ignored documentary evidence presented to prove the family’s legal title. She alleges police facilitation of the occupiers, including threats issued by Raja Saqib inside the station, and that the compound gate was later padlocked from outside. Dr Awan adds that Usman Bilal of Chakra is now reportedly residing inside the premises under instructions from Raja Saqib. The matter was raised with local officers including DSP Chaudhry Khalid and the Rawalpindi CPO, but she says no effective relief followed.
Following the incident, Dr Awan says she has lodged complaints with multiple authorities, including Operations, the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and the Prime Minister’s complaints cell, but has received no meaningful response. She is calling for the immediate recovery of the Rawalpindi property, the return of stolen goods and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
The appeal urges senior federal and provincial leaders to ensure law enforcement acts swiftly to restore the property, deliver justice to the injured and uphold citizens’ rights against alleged land grabbing and criminal violence.
