PESHAWAR: Residents of Kashmir Colony, Peshawar, have demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to secure their houses and historical worship places of minorities at the colony and take action against those who are bent on demolishing the locality and five temples for construction of a shopping plaza.

In this regard, Moazzam Butt advocate submitted an application to the police at Khan Raziq police station on behalf of the residents of Kashmir Colony on Thursday to take action against all those involved in grabbing the land properties belonging to Kashmiris and temples of Hindus and Sikhs.

The lawyer alleged that an official of Evacuee Trust Property Board (Auqaf department) in connivance with a local nazim had allegedly sold the property to a tribesman belonging to Khyber Agency and forcing the residents of Kashmir Colony to vacate their houses because they had no valid documents to prove ownership.

The property, he said, include five worship places of Hindus and Sikhs and several residential quarters where the residents were forced to vacate without any prior notice. The applicant said that there was a possible chance of clash as the Kashmiri families were not ready to allow anyone sell their colony illegally.

He said that in case of any untoward incident the responsibility would rest with the administration.

`I will move a petition in the high court against the official concerned for snatching land properties from the owners because the Kashmir Colony is owned by the people who migrated from Kashmir,` Mr Butt said.