Sindh govt moves against largest ever land scam

KARACHI: The Sindh government has at last taken legal action in the largest ever land scandal and got registered a case against two sub-registrars for illegally leasing out 1,616 acres to the Defence Housing Society (DHA), inflicting a loss of billions of rupees on thegovernment kitty.
The FIR was registered with the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption by Assistant Director Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) South Zone Karachi Abdul Jabbar Khan.The land in question was leased out to the DHA on behalf of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Port Qasim Authority (PQA) between 2003 and 2007.
The FIR said the then sub-registrar Kemari Town officer Mian and sub-registrar T Division II A. Sikandar Ali Qureshi had leased out the land without legal documents of ownership and allotment letter.
The KPT sold 881 acres on August 2, 2007 through lease deed No 555 to the DHA, while the Port Qasim Authority sold 90 acres through lease deed No 5749 in September 24, 2003, 600 acres through lease deed No 5949 in July 2, 2005 and 45 acres through lease deed No 744 in September 2, 2007 to DHA.
It was stated in the FIR that legally the Sindh government owned the land left by the sea. It was stated that the aforesaid sub-registrars had sold 1,616 acre land illegally to DHA. Different phases of DHA have now developed on the above-mentioned land.