Pakistan

Illegal plots allotment reflective of 'Changa Manga' style of politics: Shahzad Akbar

  • He said that recoveries would be made from looters as Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to make recoveries from plunderers.
Published March 18, 2021

LAHORE: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar has said that illegal allotment of plots in the past were real reflection of the 'Changa Manga' style of politics, political patronage of qabza groups and beginning of the culture of mafias in the country by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

He was addressing a press conference, along with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, here on Thursday.

He said that a political empire, established by the Sharif family, was also a result of plundering of the national resources by them. Shahzad Akbar said that in 1985, when a political group came to power in Punjab on the basis of non-party elections, they had started such corrupt practices on the basis of political patronage.

Shahzad said that Qamar Zaman Khan was made the Lahore /development Authority (LDA) director general (DG) by the then government to pave the way for their wrongdoings.

Discretionary quota for allotment of plots had also been exercised, though it was mentioned in all summaries that plots were allotted in violation of the quota. He said that around 1,300-1,400 plots were allotted in clear violation of the law.

When Nawaz Sharif was chief minister of Punjab, more than 2,000 LDA plots were allotted, out of which 1,352 were allotted illegally, as the allottees were not deserving people at all.

He said that no government in the past dared to hold accountability and credit goes to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government that all institutions were made independent to bring to the fore such corrupt practices.

He said that recoveries would be made from looters as Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to make recoveries from plunderers.

The adviser to PM said that legal action would be taken against those who allotted plots and recoveries would be made from those who benefited from these plots.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said that the PML-N was wreaking havoc on the institutions, promoted nepotism during its tenures and misused the state land by allotting it to the blue eyed including the then sitting parliamentarians from the party.

He said that plots reserved for martyrs, widows and other deserving persons were allotted by the then ruling PML-N government in 1985 in violation of rules to their favored persons.

He said that the PTI government in Punjab was carrying out across the board operation against the land grabbers in the province and would continue the drive to retrieve state land from the grabbers.

The chief minister asserted that complete retrieval of grabbed state land would take some time as it was an ongoing process; however, the present government will accomplish it without any discrimination.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his visit to Lahore on Wednesday, was briefed about the ongoing projects in the province. He said that the government announced a mega relief package for coming month of Ramzan, as providing relief to the people was priority of the government.

More than 300 bazars would be set up across the province to provide basic amenities to the people at subsidised rates as an amount of more than Rs 7 billion would be utilised for the purpose.

To a query, Usman Buzdar said that instructions had been issued to resolve matters pertaining to Lahore Waste Management Company and action would be initiated if any irregularity was found.

To another question regarding local bodies elections in the province, the chief minister said that the PTI was ready to hold local bodies elections in the province; however, the local bodies act was in the process of legislation as some amendments had been made to the act.

He said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan was also taking up the matter and Prime Minister Imran Khan had also issued clear instructions about holding od the elections soon.

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