PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday issued notices to the defence and State and Frontier Regions secretaries asking them to respond to a petition filed by 78 tribesmen against the ongoing construction of markets in Miramshah (North Waziristan) by security forces on the lands of the petitioners after demolishing the existing markets.

A bench consisting of Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani fixed Nov 3 for further hearing into the petition jointly filed by 78 tribesmen, who have alleged that after they had left Miramshah town before the launch of the Zarb-i-Azb military operation against militants, their properties were completely demolished and valuables therein were taken away.

It directed the defence and Safron secretaries to explain position on the matter on the next hearing. The petitioners have prayed the high court to declare that the lands on which Miramshah Bazaar stands belong to the petitioners and their co-tribesmen and the government and security forces had no authority or power to build the so-called markets on the said lands.

They also requested the court to stop the government and security forces from building or changing the natureoflandsofMiramshah Bazaar owned by the petitioners and other tribesmen.

During the preliminary hearing, counsel for petitioners Abdul Lateef Afridi said Miramshah Bazaar was built on the lands of two sections of Dawar Tribe namely Darpakhel and Miramshah Kalay, and a section of Wazir tribe namely Boralchel. He said all 8,000 shops of Miramshah Bazaar belonged mostly to those three sections.

The lawyer said the petitioners owned 68 markets in Miramshah Bazaar and each market had dozens of shops.