Official probing massive state land encroachment transferred

KARACHI: A rift has emerged among Sindh Government officials over the investigation into the massive illegal encroachment of state land in district Keamari leading to the transfer of the inquiry officer.

In response to public complaints, former caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar had assigned the Chief Minister’s Inspection, Enquiries, and Implementation Team (CMIEIT) Department, in September 2023, to investigate large-scale fraud involving thousands of acres of government land in Karachi’s East, West, Keamari, Korangi, and Malir districts. The investigation of illegal allotments, fake entries in the Record of Rights favouring private individuals, builders, and the land mafia, as well as deliberate tampering and destruction of revenue records, was subsequently assigned to Agha Aijaz Pathan a grade 19 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) group and Member-IV of the (CMIEIT), who submitted Phase-II of his inquiry report of district Keamari to Ms Shireen Mustafa Narejo, Chairperson CMIEIT for legal action.

An inquiry report copy of which is available with The News revealed illegal encroachment of over 5000 acres of state land worth billions of rupees in District Keamari. This report was declared illegal, inadequate and in contradiction of the rules and laws by Chairperson CMIEIT.

However, an earlier inquiry report by the same officer into land grabbing of Manghopir tehsil of the West district was also submitted to the Chief Minister, Sindh in April 2024. It similarly found that 5,500 acres of land in Manghopir was fraudulently acquired, causing a loss of Rs three trillion to the state treasury.

According to the official inquiry report influentials, builders, and the land mafia have allegedly acquired this land through forgery and tampering of official revenue records. The report stated, “5,605 acres of government land in Deh K-28, Lal Bakhar, Mochko, Gabo Pat, Gondap, and Chitra in District Keamari—valued at billions of rupees—was unlawfully allocated to the land mafia and influential builders allegedly in exchange for hefty bribes.”

The report further revealed that, despite a ban imposed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, district revenue officers, in collusion with Board of Revenue officials, made large-scale allotments of government land.

The investigation also identified the government officials, private individuals, and beneficiaries involved in the massive fraud. However, after the submission of the inquiry report, Pathan was removed from his position and directed to report to Sindh Services, General Administration and Coordination Department. Furthermore, the legitimacy of the inquiry report was challenged by Chairperson Shireen Mustafa Narejo.

According to highly placed sources, the ruckus over the report was created as the provincial government is under intense pressure from the powerful land mafia to stop the inquiries into land grabbing of state land. The pressure led to the investigation being derailed and the head of the inquiry team being removed. The IO reviewed land allotments carried out by the Land Utilization Department from 2012 to 2023, despite the Supreme Court’s ban.

The investigation officer recommended stopping any further alterations in the revenue records of the districts until the inquiry is concluded. It also recommended strict legal action against those involved and asked the Land Utilization Department to submit a detailed report on the issue.

In her brief reply to The News the Chairperson of the CMIEIT Department Shireen Mustafa Narejo said that the report submitted by Agha Aijaz Pathan was not as per law and it was just an inspection report, not an inquiry report. She said the officer Agha Aijaz Pathan has been transferred and the inquiry has now been assigned to Member I of the Department.

In his reply to The News, Pathan said that he did his job as per law and mandate. He said the team was assigned the inquiry into land grabbing in five districts of Karachi. Under the mandate, Pathan said, he submitted an initial inquiry report of Manghopir tehsil of district West and then of district Keamari to the Chairperson CMIEIT. However, he refused to comment upon the reasons for the denial of his second report and his removal.

Whereas, according to official records, when IO Agha Aijaz Pathan submitted note sheets and data sheets (available with The News) to Chairperson Shireen Mustafa Narejo who did not express her dissatisfaction with the inquiry report and forwarded it to the Secretary of the Department to examine and put it up. In turn, the secretary asked the Secretary of Land Utilization for the provision of records of the suspicious entries regarding district Keamari, in line with the recommendations of Agha Aijaz Pathan. The dust was kicked up in the aftermath of these inquiries.