Who reclaimed Rs2bn forest land in KP?

PESHAWAR: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has claimed credit for recovering 511 kanals of forest land worth Rs2 billion here, though actual action was performed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

NAB had transferred this land to the Forest Department on July 31, with the help of Revenue department, but the provincial ACE claimed success in its ‘recovery’ on August 9, 2024.

According to the Revenue documents available with this correspondent, NAB took cognizance of the matter in January this year, and the task was completed within seven months through effective coordination between NAB, Forest Department and Revenue Department. The Bahrain assistant commissioner sent a compliance report on July 31, 2024. The transfer of the protected forest land from private persons to the Forest Department was completed in July. However, the transfer process for 116 kanals and 13 marlas was pending due to provision of attested documents.

The documents revealed that in 2018, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) NAB initiated an inquiry into the illegal occupation of Forest Department land in Swat. The inquiry was completed in August 2023 by NAB Investigating Officer Ikhlaq Ahmed (an assistant director), under the supervision of NAB Director Ghazi Rehman. As a result, 333 kanals of land in Khwazakhela tehsil were recovered from illegal occupants and transferred to the Forest Department.

Meanwhile, more Forest Department land under illegal occupation in Swat district was identified and KP NAB Director General Waqar Ahmed Chuhan initiated a new inquiry.

A NAB official told this correspondent that an investigation team visited tehsil Bahrain in Swat district and identified the Forest land with the help of Forest and Revenue officials from May 6 to 10, 2024. An investigation was conducted, and the KP NAB recovered 511 kanals and 18 marlas of land in tehsil Bahrain from illegal occupants.

He said throughout this process, the Forest Department secretary remained in constant contact with the KP NAB director general. NAB Additional Director Sardar Adnan Alam also maintained communication with the Forest Department officers, chief conservator of Region-3 and the commissioner of Swat.

However, later on, a press release, issued by the KP government, stated that Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Anti-Corruption Establishment Brigadier (retd) Musaddiq Abbasi received complaints about illegal occupation of 511 kanals of the Forest land by influential individuals in Bahrain. He ordered the ACE director to conduct an inquiry into the matter. After an investigation, the Revenue Department transferred the land to the Forest Department. The release claimed that the complaint was received in January 2024.

An ACE official told this correspondent that they had also conducted a detailed investigation into the matter, which revealed that 511 kanals of land belonged to the Forest Department. And as a result of that investigation, the Revenue Department transferred the land to the Forest Department, he added.