Sindh govt approaches NAB to get shady land deals cancelled

ISLAMABAD: Key Sindh government officials have approached NAB with the offer to cancel shady allotments of land worth hundreds of billions of rupees in Karachi and in the interior of Sindh.
Sources told The News that NAB, however, smells a rat and believes that the move may follow litigation and stay orders by the influential third parties involved in these scandalous deals.
The purpose of these contacts by the Sindh government is to get the cases closed by NAB but the Bureau has made it clear to the Sindh government representatives that references would be filed for the wrongs committed by the government functionaries.
Among those who have recently approached the DG NAB Sindh include the commissioner Karachi. It is said the commissioner has assured the NAB that the allotments of land including 530 acres in Malir Nadi, another 305 acres of Malir riverbed allotted in 2013, 30 to 50 commercial plots sold in Clifton’s Nehre Khyaam, etc., are being cancelled.
According to the NAB sources, the estimated value of these allotments is in hundreds of billion rupees.
The sources said that the NAB has told the commissioner about its apprehensions that the cancellation might result in litigation and stay orders on the initiative of the third parties involved. The beneficiaries, it is said, include some influential builders and close associates of key PPP leaders.
Besides the commissioner, the Board of Revenue and Land Utilisation Department Sindh are said to have also communicated to the NAB Sindh that they are presently reviewing all cases of allotments in Karachi and in interior Sindh with the objective of canceling all controversial and illegal allotments.
The top bureaucracy in Sindh, its chief secretary and several officials including those serving in the Land Utilisation Department, Board of Revenue and Karachi Civil Administration, is finding itself in serious trouble for dancing to the tunes of their political leadership.
It is said that certain members of the bureaucracy have also started sharing the information of alleged corruption and misuse of authority with the NAB as well as other security agencies.
Fearing action by the NAB, dozens of Sindh bureaucrats and certain politicians have already approached the courts and secured pre-arrest bails.
Only recently, as reported by this newspaper on Wednesday, the Sindh chief minister cancelled the lease of 5,222 acres of precious Sindh land after the passage of 33 years. It was done by Qaim Ali Shah following the notice taken by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice Jawwad S Khawaja on the complaint of Transparency International.
The said land was reportedly allotted to a businessman of a Middle Eastern country Mr Lotha, initially in 1982 for 30 years short-term and temporary lease for the purpose of dairy forming at the rate of Rs7 per acre. In 2008 Mr. Lotha requested the then Sindh chief minister to re-allot him the said land for 99 years lease.
The chief minister forwarded the matter to the Sindh Land Scrutiny Committee headed by Sindh Chief Secretary to decide the matter. Despite disagreement of some key officers, the land was reallotted to Mr Lotha on June 5, 2008 by the then Sindh chief minister violating the rules and laws.
As against the previous purpose of “dairy farming”, this time this huge chunk of Sindh land has been allotted for ‘Low Cost Incremental Housing Scheme’ for 99 years permanent lease at the rate of Rs50 per acre (total cost Rs25.48 million).