LAHORE – Mocking its own slogan of good governance, merit and rule of law, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led Punjab government has scrapped its mega operation against high-rise buildings to save the skin of its leaders including Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, who are allegedly involved in a number of building violations, Pakistan Today has learnt. The decision is a sheer violation of the Supreme Court commission’s report, which recommended partial and complete demolition of around 551 buildings out of the total 724, which had irregularities in their building structure. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) had launched separate operations in December 2009 and demolished only 12 buildings until April 10. Despite passage of nine months, even a single brick of rest of the plazas could not be razed out.
A LDA official told Pakistan Today that the Punjab government was quite aggressive in the beginning and Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif had vowed to complete the operation regardless of any political pressure. But the PML-N soon found a hole in its own boat, when it came to know that Sanaullah and other party leaders owned or were shareholders in a number of buildings, which had violated building rules, he said. For face-saving, the Punjab CM formed two committees monitored by district commissioners to look into the issue, but the committee just brushed the issue under the carpet. Sanaullah’s plaza at 5-Fane Road was the real issue behind the committee’s non-seriousness. The plaza was designed for residential purpose but was being used commercially. Shahbaz also constituted a committee headed by Punjab Opposition Leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin to probe into irregularities in Sanaullah’s 3-floor plaza. Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal also constituted a three-member committee but the body could not function properly due to frosty attitude of departments concerned. In order to save its favourite minister, the Punjab government issued an incomplete report stating that the law minister was not guilty of any irregularity.
A Chief Minister’s Secretariat official said that the decision to stop the demolition operation was taken after consultations with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif at his farmhouse in Raiwind some days ago. He said that the CM was briefed during a meeting at the CM’s Secretariat by Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervaiz that investigation had reveled that some party leaders were also stakeholders in buildings, which had to be demolished. “The commissioner also apprised him of violations in the building owned by Sanaullah and feared that continuation of the demolition operation could again spotlight the minister’s building case and other violations of building rules committed by party leaders,” the official said adding that the commissioner also advised the CM that it would better to shelve the operation considering it a best opportunity for damage control.
A PML-N leader said that traders had also warned the Sharif brothers that opposed the operation and if it was continued, the PML-N would lose a big chunk of its vote bank. A LDA official in the directorate of enforcement said that LDA DG Umer Rasool, who was in the CM’s good books, played his role in tampering the case. He salvaged 260 high-rise plazas from demolition. The commission constituted by the SC recommended total demolition of 149 buildings and partial demolition of 402 buildings. The commission recommended partial and complete demolition of 551 illegal buildings. But the LDA DG got a FIR registered in the anti-corruption department that the commission had recommended partial and complete demolition of 291 buildings.
LDA Town Planning Director Ume Laila Naqvi, who was appointed on special recommendations of Rasool, proved her loyalty and disappeared around 66 marked files of plazas to be demolished. LDA Chief Engineer Abdul Rab said that first phase of the demolition operation was completed after demolishing the illegally-constructed 11th floor of the Big City Plaza located near the Liberty Roundabout in April. A total of 12 plazas that were demolished including Rabi Centre, Ahad Tower, Inam Complex, Al-Rehman Media Center, Geff Heights, Tariq Plaza, Bridal Centre, a plaza adjacent to the Telenor building, a plaza at Plot number 100/2 on Model Town Link Road, plazas at Plot number G-2 and G-8 in PIA Housing Scheme near the Shaukat Khanam Hospital and the Big City Plaza in Gulberg II. He said that the LDA had short listed 39 illegally-constructed plazas for demolition in the second phase. The chief engineer claimed that he did not know at all whether second phase of demolition operation would be started. “We are bound to follow orders issued by the Punjab government,” he added.
Data collected by Pakistan Today revealed that a number of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) affiliated plaza owners had moved court to stop the operation and PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan was hired to plead the case. The LDA suspended 24 officials and terminated Aftab Ahmed Khan, chief metropolitan planner and Qazi Masood Ahmed, former chief town planner for assisting builders in violating building rules.
