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 here on Sunday, she said the operation against illegal occupants of 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 did politics for 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 the 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 underway currently for getting clear state land.
