Doling out of precious land in Karachi highlighted

KARACHI: Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf told a press conference today that highly priced land in Karachi was doled out to some people through connivance of officials of the Land Department and former provincial ministers, but no one bothered to investigate into the matter, said Shahzaib Khanzada on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday.
The PTI leaders also produced some documents as evidence according to which a 5,000-square yard piece of land worth Rs400 million in Block 17 of Gulshan was allotted to an unknown person. Those involved in this deal were said to be members of the Land Utilisation Department of the Board of Revenue, former deputy commissioner Sami Siddiqi, former provincial minister Waseem Akhtar and one Omar Hayat Chauhan.
Similarly, an area spread over 17,000-yard belonging to the Pakistan Railways in Block 13-D of Gulshan was doled out to a person after forging the records. The market value of this land is Rs1.7 billion. Those said to be involved in this deal are members of the Land Utilisation Department of the Board of Revenue, Deputy Commissioner East, ABAD chairman Mohsin Shaikhani and Speaker of Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani.
Land belonging to the KMC between Safari Park and Aladin Park worth Rs300 million was allotted to one Shahid Shamsi for a pittance in 2012 after forging the revenue records. Those said to be involved in this deal are members of the Land Utilisation Department of the Board of Revenue, Deputy Commissioner East, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Aftab Pathan and some others.
Rangers’ raid at the house of the chief of the CPLC: inside story of a complicated matterCommenting on the raid by the Rangers at the house of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief, Shahzaib Khanzada said that there was total confusion vis-à-vis news reports about CPLC chief Ahmad Chinoy and their denials. The Rangers had been saying that they had recovered a kidnapped man Laraib. Then came the news that the house of Ahmed Chinoy had been raided, but, after a while, Ahmed Chinoy told the media there had not been any raid and that what happened was only a routine activity.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain issued a statement in the afternoon in favour of Ahmed Chinoy, but then MQM changed its statement after denial by Ahmed Chinoy, saying that Ahmed Chinoy had proved himself a liar by changing his statement.
Giving details about the whole episode, Geo News correspondent Fahim Siddiqi said on the programme that there were several twists to the incident since the kidnapping of Laraib. The fact is that when Laraib was kidnapped his mother went to the CPLC while his father went to the Rangers Task Force. The mother had the phone on which the kidnappers were making the calls. The kidnappers contacted three or four times for which the kidnappers were using Laraib’s phone. In the meantime, Laraib’s father, Mohammad Ali, had gone to the Rangers Task Force. The Rangers Task Force had managed to find the location of the kidnappers before the CPLC did so. The Rangers immediately raided the location, but the kidnappers managed to escape after they saw the Rangers. When the hostage did not hear anything from his kidnappers for some time he came out of where he was being held hostage. After he came out, he met the Rangers outside. It is clear that the Rangers have played a vital role in getting Laraib freed from the custody of his kidnappers.
Fahim Siddiqi said that in the meantime Ahmad Chinoy made Laraib’s mother and brother sit there and took their phones. They said they had been using the very phones. Laraib’s father who was with the Rangers Task Force made several calls to Laraib’s mother but Chinoy forbade them from leaving. He even told Laraib’s mother that her husband had also been kidnapped and if she left the premises she would also be kidnapped.
Fahim Siddiqi said that sources accuse Ahmed Chinoy of having interfered in the matter from time to time, and that if he had not interfered the kidnappers might have been arrested. On the basis of these reasons, the Rangers authorities decided to go to Ahmed Chinoy’s house to arrest him and to take him to the Rangers headquarters. When they reached there it was decided that Ahmed Chinoy would himself go to the Rangers headquarters tomorrow. In fact, he went to the Rangers headquarters this evening. Ahmed Chinoy also saw the governor to apprise him of his version.
Fahim Siddiqi said that this incident has brought to the fore the cold war between two institutions. Two men of the Rangers Task Force, Najeeb Danawala and Idrees Giggi, had worked under CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy, but they left the CPLC over some differences and the Rangers had appointed them as the head of the Rangers Task Force.
Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali while speaking in the programme said that the government has saved the exchequer a loss of Rs26 billion in the category of mediocre and expensive power plants. The Ministry of Water and Power by increasing the capacity of the power plants has prevented an increase in the category of circular debts.
Abid Sher Ali said Sindh has to pay back Rs100 billion to the Center in the head of circular debt while the subsidy of Fata is Rs40 billion, AJK’s Rs49 billion whereas recovery of Rs110 billion out of the Balochistan’s total subsidy of Rs125 billion is not possible.
He said that the Ministry of Water and Power has to pay Rs170 billion to PSO. We have already returned Rs65 billion including an additional sum of Rs22 billion. We have made a formula that electricity will only be provided to those clients who would pay.
When we cut supply to the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), the High Court ordered that we cannot suspend supply to HESCO whether they pay or not. Abid Sher Ali said that previous governments had made a wrong agreement with the KESC but now that accord will not be renewed. The KESC (K-Electric) should generate maximum electricity from its plants as its total production capability is 2,400MW whereas it also obtains 350MW from IPs. He said that Nepra has fixed tariff of Rs13. Cost of electricity from the KESC’s power plants is Rs16 and the difference of Rs3 is paid by the government.
The government is paying Rs70 billion in subsidy for electricity in Karachi. Speaking in the show, MQM’s Faisal Subzwari said that there is no grouping in the party, adding that Additional IG Ghulam Qadir Thebo’s statement is irresponsible.
He said that the police chief and the chief minister were giving only statements and did not arrest the killers of over 400 workers of MQM during the last 15 months.He said that Altaf Hussain is the ideological leader of MQM therefore no other MQM can exist. In the past, efforts were made to forcibly create groups within the MQM. If the people expelled from the MQM form a new group this will not be MQM, he added. MQM does not believe in patronisng criminals.
Speaking in the programme, PTI’s Faisal Wada said that he has documented evidence of occupation on land in Sindh. These documents carry signatures of the chief minister, chief secretary, finance minister and director of land utilisation department.
All these documents are circulating in the Sindh government’s machinery. I will take the responsibility, if these were proved wrong, Wada said. He said that despite the Supreme Court’s restriction, this land was allotted. He said that he will provide evidence against all those whose names he had taken during a press conference for their involvement in illegal occupation of land.