Malaysian seeking Wisma Putra's help after hail of gunfire hits his residence in Pakistan

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian of Pakistani descent is seeking the Foreign Ministry's help in keeping his family safe after his residence in his homeland was fired upon, allegedly by a local organised crime group.

Businessman Datuk Mohammad Tahir Rahat said the attack stemmed from the actions of a group that wanted to seize his generational land in Pakistan's Hisari Nehri district.

"Last Sunday (April 30), (a large group of) armed mafia began shooting at my residence at 7am (and) I had to return fire.

"The incident continued until 8.30am, after the police arrived, which helped stop the shooting but not the activities of the mafia.

"This group has seized my land and built retaining walls and watchtowers in the area," Malay portal Sinar Harian quoted him as saying on Thursday (May 4).

He added that the group also blocked all the routes to and from his residence to stop any help from coming in.

Mohammad Tahir migrated to Malaysia in the 1980s and succeeded in getting citizenship.

In 2016 he was awarded the Panglima Jasa Negara for humanitarian work in Myanmar and Kashmir.

He is also active in non-governmental organisations such as Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia and Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia.

In 2020, he returned to Pakistan after learning of attempts to take over his land illegally.

Mohammad Tahir contested the bid in the High Court there and won.

However, he said the party involved sold the land illegally to an organised crime group.

"They have taken control of the land and placed their henchmen within 100m of my house, which is a threat to me and my family," he said.

He added that although he had complained to the authorities there, no action was taken.

"I reported the incident with the help of Wisma Putra but until now there hasn't been any development," he added.

According to the report, Mohammad Tahir and his wife are staying put to defend their property.