Law Minister and Speaker Punjab Assembly virtually made it impossible for the members on both sides of the political divide in getting a committee constituted to probe into the illegal land grabbing by the Defence Housing Authority.
On Friday during the concluding day of the 10th session of the PA, Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, while ‘suggesting’ to the Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, made it clear in the House that the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team should probe the matter, while there was no need for constituting a committee as ultimately the matter would land up either with the CMIT or the Anti-Corruption Establishment.
While responding to a volley of supplementary questions during the Question-Hour on Revenue and Colonies Department, Punjab Revenue Minister Haji Muhammad Ishaq said the last regime had given a total of 4,638 kanal of state land in the Punjab to the DHA free of cost.
Questioner Mian Naseer Ahmed told the House that the market value of the land was around Rs 300 billion, and demanded that a House committee for holding an enquiry into the allotment of the state land. He was of the opinion that the answer was wrong.
Yaseen Sohi said that the Punjab government could overcome a lot of problems if the cost of the said land was recovered from the DHA.
Haji Ishaq also showed willingness to form a PA committee, while Rana Sana opposed it tooth and nail.
Mian Naseer insisted on the formation of a committee, averring that all officers of the relevant departments were involved in corruption while allotting land to the DHA, and the matter should not be handed over to such officers.
However, the House went noisy when Rana Sana said no rules were observed because it was during the time of the dictator.
When opposition member Amna Ulfat raised an objection as to under what rule was the land given to the DHA, the minister observed that dictatorship did not believe in rules, but in directives.
Treasury and Opposition benches started raising slogans against each other. However, this all happened to the benefit of Haji Ishaq, who could have been given the same treatment as meted out to his minister colleagues during the previous days.
However, while the question hour was nearing its end, the Chair directed the holding of an enquiry in this regard by the officers of the CMIT, which would present their report during the next session.
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