LAHORE – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab on Monday filed a reference in an accountability court against two former deputy commissioners, two former assistant commissioners and a deputy tehsil nazim along with two others over charges of illegal allotment of 1,240 kanal state land. The reference has been filed against former Bahawalnagar deputy commissioner (DC) Saeed Zafar, former Bahawalnagar deputy commissioner Khalid Bashir Tarar, former Fort Abbas assistant commissioner Hayat Kalyar, former Fort Abbas assistant commissioner Ashraf Bhatti, the former Fort Abbas tehsil deputy nazim along with Rana Akram and Karim Ashraf.
According to details, in 1966, the Punjab government in order to lease out uncultivated and barren land in Bahawalnagar introduced two new schemes including the 10-years Temporary Cultivation Scheme and Grow More Food Scheme for non-proprietor cultivators having maximum four acres of land on certain terms and conditions.
State land measuring around 1240 kanals situated in Chak Number 268/HR, Tehsil Fort Abbas was allotted to three brothers including Rana Aslam, 440 kanal, Rana Ashraf, 400 kanal and Rana Akram, 400 kanal, from 1966 to 1976. The allottees continued cultivation even after expiry of the lease period but on report of the assistant commissioner and patwari concerned, the lease was cancelled. Afterwards, legal heirs of the allottees including Naeem Akhtar and Karim Ashraf filed three new applications to get extension in the lease and grant of proprietary rights of the state land.
Accused former Bahawalnagar deputy commissioner Saeed Zafar restored the lease until 1998 in name of Rana Naeem Akhtar and Rana Karim Ashraf. In 1995, former Bahawalpur deputy commissioner Khalid Bashir Tarar extended the proprietary rights until 1996 and former assistant commissioner Hayat Kalyar also extended the same for another two years. Taking notice of the situation, Bahawalnagar Commissioner Masood Ahmed Shah nullified all extensions. Despite cancellation of the proprietary rights, Assistant Commissioner Ashraf Bhatti once again extended the lease period for five more years. The accountability court registrar forwarded the reference to the administrative judge for further proceedings.
