Power of Attorney holder has to produce attesting witnesses
PLJ 2012 · Peshawar High Court
This case was heard by the Peshawar High Court, D.I. Khan Bench, concerning a long-running property dispute originating from a 1972 civil suit. Hussain Bakhsh had obtained a decree in 1972 against Abdul Majid, who appeared in that case through a general power of attorney holder. Based on this decree, Bakhsh became the owner of the disputed land. Decades later, in 1992, Abdul Majid's legal heirs filed an application under Section 12(2) of the Civil Procedure Code, claiming the original 1972 decree was obtained through fraud and misrepresentation because, they alleged, no one had actually appointed the attorney who appeared on Abdul Majid's behalf.
The trial court initially dismissed this challenge twice, but an appellate court eventually set aside the old decree and allowed the heirs to contest the suit, prompting Bakhsh's heirs to file this writ petition.
The High Court examined whether the attorney's power of attorney had been properly proven. It held that under Article 79 of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984, anyone relying on a power of attorney must produce the attesting witnesses to prove it was validly executed—this is a mandatory legal requirement. Since this had not been done, the attorney's authority to represent Abdul Majid in 1972 was never properly established.
The court also addressed the long delay, clarifying that the limitation period for challenging a decree based on misrepresentation begins from the date the affected party discovers the fraud, not from the date of
یہ مقدمہ پشاور ہائی کورٹ کے ڈی آئی خان بینچ میں زیرِ سماعت آیا، جو 1972 کے ایک دیوانی دعوے سے جنم لینے والے ایک طویل جائیداد کے تنازعے سے متعلق تھا۔ حسین بخش نے 1972 میں عبدالماجد کے خلاف ایک ڈگری حاصل کی تھی، جس میں عبدالماجد کی جانب سے ایک جنرل پاور آف اٹارنی ہولڈر پیش ہوا تھا۔ اسی ڈگری کی بنیاد پر بخش متنازعہ زمین ک