ISLAMABAD – Chief of Muttahida Mahaz Bahawalpur (MMB) and former information minister Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani Saturday warned the Punjab government of a long march if the ‘loot sale’ of Bahawalpur state lands is not stopped.
Addressing a press conference, Senator Durrani warned those who had acquired the state lands to vacate the lands or be ready to face public wrath. “Those who have bought these lands as front men of the influential will be tagged as ‘traitors’ of the people of Bahawalpur and we will acquire their names.
We will cancel these auctions as soon as the province of Bahawalpur is restored,” he added. Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani, who is a former federal minister for information and broadcasting, termed the sale of 39 state properties as a mega corruption scam, as the actual cost of the lands, including seven rest houses, was Rs 20 billion but it was sold for a paltry Rs 850 million. “The total area of the sold properties is 1,970.5 acres including agricultural as well as commercial land. Even the pond area of Head Islam was not spared. Of total auction lands, 1,552 acres is located in Lahore while 412 acres is located in Bahawalpur,” he said. “Out of the seven rest houses, a rest house comprising 15 kanals of land was sold out for Rs3 million only while another was sold for Rs 1 million.
The same is the case with others. The people of Bahawalpur ask why are the rulers hell bent on selling our precious lands for peanuts and why are the houses of the poor being sold to construct Ring Roads in Lahore,” he argued. The Muttahida Mahaz Bahawalpur chief said even though the Fisheries Department had also written to the Punjab government against the sale of the rest houses, which were the only place for stay of the government officials visiting the area, the provincial privatisation board had termed these lands as redundant and had ignored the letter completely.
Senator Durrani asked Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take immediate notice of the matter as the people of Bahawalpur expect that the executive head of the province would provide justice to them through suspension and cancellation of such auctions. “I am writing a letter to the Punjab chief minister tomorrow with all the proofs. I hope that he will order an immediate inquiry into this fraud,” he said.
Durrani said the pond area of Head Islam was auctioned in lots of 200 acres each and a family had acquired five lots, which meant they would be the major landlords of the area.
Referring to the issue taken up by the Senate Functional Committee for
Less Developed Areas, Senator Durrani said it was now for the Parliament to ensure its sovereignty. Asked whether he would urge the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice of this mega scam, he said the apex court was already busy in handling the crucial national issues and was progressing positively. “If the honourable chief justice takes suo moto notice in the large public interest, we will assist the court by providing documentary evidence and the people of Bahawalpur will be grateful to him,” he contended.
Releasing the names of the buyers of Bahawalpur lands, Senator Durrani said one Abdur Rehman Khan of GT Road, Peshawar, had bought four lots of land; Jalal Khan Daultana bought five lots, M Ashiq Khalid bought 400 acres; Naeemuddin Warraich bought 256 acres and Ihsanul Haq Bajwa purchased five lots.
