R3 inquiry report controversy: Land record documents or a nuclear secret?

ISLAMABAD: The Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) project minority inquiry report, owned and approved by the Punjab government, recommends action by the Pakistan Army against two ex-servicemen, including a retired major general and an ex-colonel.

While the retired major general is accused of playing a role in the alleged “rent-seeking syndicate”, the ex-colonel faces the bizarre charge of getting a hold of revenue records and ‘massavis’ (land record documents) that interestingly are public documents and involve no favour or illegality in procuring. “It appears as if the retired colonel has obtained some secret nuclear document,” an official source said, adding that massavis can be obtained by anyone.

Massavis are nothing but original maps, prepared for every revenue estate or village at the time of settlement, showing the position and boundaries of all the fields. The land revenue law requires that a map is prepared for every revenue estate or village. The original map is kept in the circle office headed by a kanungo to ensure the record remains safe and secure. A copy of the map is maintained by the patwari, the official engaged in the discharge of daily functions and operations.

A source close to the incumbent commissioner Rawalpindi, who authored the report, said that the commissioner had recommended action against the retired colonel for using the name of a sensitive organisation to obtain the massavis. The report recommended that, “Relevant Authorities in the Armed Forces may be requested to inquire of the name of a sensitive national security organisation by Col (R) Asim Ibrahim Paracha while getting revenue records including massavis from Mauza Rajar.”

The report, which vilifies politicians, civil servants, developers and army officers with a broad brush, based solely on presumptions and not evidence, has sensationalised this issue as well.

The issue pertains to the analysis of the commissioner Rawalpindi on the matter of conflict of interest (Section 8 para 50 (vi)) in which he concluded that: “Further investigation is also needed on an alleged provision of massavis to Col Asim who allegedly portrayed the purpose as needed for a sensitive organisation central to national security but actually to assist in provision of exact coordinates for adjustment of theme park and ring road alignment for the benefit of a big housing society at Moorat.”

After accepting the allegation as reliable and credible evidence, the commissioner goes on to recommend in the ‘Way Forward’ (Section 9) that: “Relevant Authorities in the Armed Forces may be requested to inquire the use of the name of a sensitive national security organisation by Col (R) Asim Ibrahim Paracha while getting revenue records including massavis from Mauza Rajar”.

According to sources, an ordinary reader may assume from the above reasoning and allegation that a massavi, prepared and owned by the Revenue Department, is something that is highly confidential and as such, cannot be shared or copied to any non-relevant person. However, facts show that the purpose of dragging a retired army officer into the case and alluding to a sensitive organisation was merely to add to the drama and sensationalise the matter.

Sources added that Rules 36 and 37 of the West Pakistan Land Revenue Rules 1968 make it abundantly clear that the revenue record maintained at the circle, tehsil or district office is part of the public record that anyone can obtain on the payment of the usual fees.

Rule 37 expects from the officer in-charge of the tehsil, sub-divisional or district revenue record room, to allow anyone interested to inspect the maps and land records prepared under the Land Revenue Act. This allows everyone to inspect any map prepared by the Revenue Department, in line with the schedule specified in these Rules.

Framed in 1968, these rules permitted access of general members of the public to land records, even though no digital technology was available at the time. With the advent of databases, the internet, and location-based services, the Punjab Land Revenue Authority has started providing digital maps, or digital massavis, to citizens free of cost.

In fact, it is said, anyone can use the interactive tools publicly available on http://gisportal.punjab-zameen.gov.pk:81/lrmis_geo/ to access the massavis of at least three districts --Lahore, Lodhran and Hafizabad. There is nothing in the law that prohibits access to

the massavis of District Rawalpindi to any person whatsoever. According to a source, it is alarming that the commissioner, who is the most senior officer in the division under the Land Revenue Act, considers massavis as something “top secret”.

As a grade 21 officer, he should have exercised due diligence before finalising the report, which was not signed by the other two members of the inquiry committee set up by the government.