KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau team tasked with investigating the illegal allotment of huge piece of land to Bahria Town Karachi believes it has a watertight case against the real estate developer and the individuals who abetted illegal land transfers and swaps for it.
A board meeting was held on Wednesday headed by NAB Director General Altaf Bawany to review progress on investigation against Bahria Town, Malir Development Authority (MDA) officials and other government functionaries. The review was conducted in compliance with the directions of NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal in order to expedite cases taken up by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
“The investigators apprised the board that the investigation has already been completed and case made out on the basis of ‘irrefutable evidence’ which establishes that management of Bahria Town in connivance with relevant public office holders and officials of the Malir district revenue department, Malir Development Authority, and Sindh Building Control Authority took illegal possession of thousands of acres of valuable government land situated on main super highway (M9) in violation of Colonisation of Government Land Act, 1912, MDA Act, 1993, and Sindh Building Control Ordinance 1979,” according to a press statement issued by NAB Karachi following the meeting.
“The board was apprised that a concise statement has already been submitted in the Supreme Court of Pakistan highlighting facts regarding blatant violation of laws and rules, adding that the review board appreciated the efforts of investigation team that concluded the case by engaging Survey of Pakistan, Ministry of Defence, for demarcation of the land under illegal possession of Bahria Town which established that Bahria Town was in possession of 12,156 acres, after which Bahria Town was restrained by Supreme Court from undertaking further development,” the statement added.
“DG NAB Karachi issued instructions to the investigators to coordinate with the legal team for expediting queries if any so that the deadline given by the Supreme Court is met,” it concluded.
On May 4, the Supreme Court, in three hard-hitting verdicts against the real estate empire, had declared the procurement of land by Bahria Town for its housing projects in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Murree null and void, while noting that significant transfers and allotments of land to each project had been done illegally.
The court had subsequently ordered the accountability bureau to file references against the individuals responsible for the transfers and to take action against them within three months.
The apex court had barred Bahria Town from selling or allotting land in the Bahria Town Karachi project after declaring that the allotment of land to the company by the Sindh government and a massive land swap with the MDA was done illegally.
“We are constrained to declare that the grant of the land to the MDA, its exchange with the land of Bahria Town and anything done pursuant thereto being against the provisions of COGLA 1912 [Colonization of Government Lands Act, 1912] and statement of conditions are void ab initio and as such have no existence,” the court had ruled. “The government land would go back to the government and the land of Bahria Town exchanged for the government land would go back to Bahria Town,” the court had ordered.
Published in Daily Times, May 31st 2018.
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