By: Asif Mehmood Awan
The matter of property tax collection of Abbotabad Cantonment Board has been taken in a new direction. Leading lawyer Hashim Iqbal Jadon, who is fighting a legal battle against CBAK in court, has issued a fine of Rs 50 crore each on charges of defamation against the executive officer and vice chairman of Kent Board. It is clear that Hashim Iqbal Khan Advocate has taken the stand in his notice that the Kent Board administration has misrepresented its credibility by publishing wrong and contrary statements through local social media. And a regular lie-based campaign has been launched against them. The allegations made by senior officials of the board administration have nothing to do with the facts. Those comments claimed that Attorney Mussouf partially paid property taxes in 2025 on behalf of his close loved ones. which indicates that Lawyer Mussouf not only recognized the legal status of tax collection but also considered the action of the Board to be legitimate.
While Hashim Khan Advocate in his legal notice clearly denied any such immortality and decided to take action based on malicious facts against him. Although they never legitimized the legal status of these taxes and neither advised any of their near and dear ones to deposit taxes. In a statement issued to the media, barrister Hashim Khan said he considers the Kent Board’s tax collection practice illegal and illegal which is why he is engaged in a legal battle against it in the High Court. Therefore, the Supreme Court issued an order dated July 2, 2025 temporarily restraining the Kent Board from collecting taxes. The Chairman has tried to give the impression through statements on social media that he seems to be a victim of duality, where one side is fighting a legal battle against taxes and the other side is paying outrageous taxes.
Which is a clear attempt to characterize my career and my professional status. The legal notice issued by barrister Hashim Khan demanded that within 14 days of receipt of the notice, the media should publicly retract the false statements and seek an unconditional apology from the media for the misrepresentation. However, if this is not done within the said period, an action of Rs 5 crore each will be filed against both the responsible persons under the law.
