The owner of actor Dilip Kumar’s ancestral house in Pakistan, Haji Lal Muhammad, has refused to sell their property at a rate fixed by the government, news agency PTI reported. He said that he would demand Rs 25 crore for the prime location of the property, which is often undervalued by the authorities.

The provincial government last month fixed the price of the four marla (101 square metre) house, declared as a national heritage, in Peshawar at Rs 80.56 lakh. Marla, a traditional unit of area used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, is considered as equal to 272.25 square feet or 25.2929 square metres, PTI reported.

Muhammad said he had purchased the property in 2005 for Rs 51 lakh after completing all formalities required for transfer of the land and possesses all the documents of the house.

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He said it is unjust on part of the government to fix the rate at Rs 80.56 lakh for the property after 16 years.

“How can a four marla property be sold in the said area for Rs 80 lakh?” he asked.

Earlier, the owner of the ancestral house of Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor demanded Rs 200 crore for the six marla (151.75 square metre) property in Peshawar. The government had fixed the rate of the property at Rs 1.50 crore.

Last month, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s special assistant on information Kamran Bangash said that he is hopeful that the provincial government would reach an amicable settlement with the owners of both the buildings.

In January, the provincial government approved the release of Rs 2.35 crore to purchase the ancestral houses of the two legendary actors located in the heart of this city.