-LDA demolishes illegal constructions at Khokhar Palace
-38 kanals of govt land recovered from PML-N Khokhar brothers
-PML-N blames govt of political revenges
-Dr Firdous says impartial operation against land mafia under way
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Sunday launched an operation against illegal construction at Khokhar Palace — the residence of senior vice president PML-N Lahore Saiful Malook Khokhar and MNA Malik Afzal Khokhar in Johar Town.
A heavy contingent of police blocked roads leading to the residence with containers, whereas the media was also barred from entering the area where the operation was taking place.
The road from Ayub Chowk to Khokhar Palace had been sealed off and Saif Market was demolished during the operation. Additionally, the rear part of two houses near Khokhar Palace were torn down as the district administration moved to recover government land in Johar Town.The district administration claims to have relinquished 38 kanals of government land so far from the Khokhar brothers. Reports revealed that the value of the vacated land is Rs1.25bn.
The Khokhar brothers are accused of occupying the said land through forgery. They had been issued notices to evict the land by the district administration, which they repeatedly ignored.
Previously, the district administration had tried to conduct a clearance operation but had to postpone it due to protests by the Khokhar brothers’ supporters.
An operation was carried out on Sunday over the non-implementation of the notices. The Additional Deputy Commission Revenue (ADCR) Lahore and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations supervised the operation.
Following the crackdown, Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) Punjab on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that an impartial operation is being conducted against land mafia without any political pressure, on the direction of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.
Talking to the media at here on Sunday, she said the operation against illegal occupants of the the state land would continue with full force. She said that the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) recovered thousands of acres of land worth Rs 181 billion during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government so far. She said the land recovered in 10 years of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government was worth of only Rs 2.6 billion.
In Punjab, the Sharif family was supporting the land mafia saying that the 50 top PML-N leaders are involved in land grabbing, she added. Dr Firdous said the corrupt Sharif family had occupied 446 acres of valuable land in Raiwind after 2013, which is being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The SACM said the past rulers looted the national wealth ruthlessly and ever done politics of their personal gains, putting aside the national interests.
The SAC said that a province with a prosperous agricultural economy like Punjab was looted in the name of making it an industrial province during the past regime. As a result, the province neither remained agricultural nor could be turned into an industrial one.
She said the PTI government was establishing 13 special economic zones in the province along with the promotion of agriculture sector.
The SACM said the Sharif family started failed industrial projects, and transferred billions of rupees abroad and bought Avenfield apartments with the money received as kickbacks on those projects.
The SACM said a grand operation was carried out against Khokhar Brothers in Lahore to retrieve 38 kanals of the state land. She said a grand operation was under way currently for getting clear the state land. She said that PML-N leader Khwaja Asif had illegally occupied the land of a public park in Cantt Housing scheme, which had been got cleared.
Dr Firdous said that MPA Rana Liaqat was looting people by establishing five illegal housing societies, while another PML-N MPA Chaudhry Arshad Javed Warraich illegally occupied 12 kanals of irrigation land and sold it out as a plot. She said that Chaudhry Arshad Warraich’s daughter approved her father’s society (Canal City Housing Society) as chairperson of the district council.
The SACM said PML-N MPA Chaudhry Ikram usurped the property of deceased women. She said that more PML-N land grabbers were on the radar of the ACE.
She said that the Punjab chief minister, under the leadership of Peime Minister Imran Khan, had stood firmly against the land mafia. She said that under the Punjab Development Programme, work was underway on 165 development schemes worth Rs 27 billion in Sialkot district. In addition, Rs 700 million will be spent on 50 new schemes.
The SACM said that under the Community Development Programme, work was under way on 38 schemes worth Rs 300 million.
She said that 47 schemes of Prime Minister’s Sustainable Achievement Programme would cost Rs 350 million, while Punjab Municipal Services Programme is working on 113 schemes with Rs 270 million.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said Khokar brothers are fighting for democracy in the country.
Saad Rafique, while talking to media persons outside Khokar Palace, condemned government action and said that such attitude of the authorities cannot be tolerated. No one can stop party leaders to gather workers and protest the move, he added.
Former Railways Minister said that new Pakistan of PTI is worse than old Pakistan. Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will not let this government to complete its term, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that District Administration has launched an action against (PML-N) leaders’ Khokhar Palace in the provincial capital to retrieve state land.
As per details, the authorities aim to recover 45 kanals of land and for this purpose 13 shops and several temporary huts have been demolished by the use of heavy machinery.
Officials claimed that out of 177 kanals, only 131 kanals are owned by Saif-ul-Malook Khokhar and remaining land is illegally occupied.
On the other hand, PML-N MPA Saif-ul-Malook said that government action is politically motivated as Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued restraining order on the issue.
