Haleem Demands Judicial Inquiry Of Vast Scale Land Grabbing In Sindh

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Oct, 2021 ) :Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Tuesday, demanded judicial inquiry to probe into the matter of vast scale land grabbing in Sindh through counterfeit documentation.

Haleem Adil Sheikh, while addressing a press conference along with MPA Saeed Afridi, senior PTI leader Muzafar Shujrah, president PTI Youth wing Moula Bux Soomro and others at Sindh Assembly building, said that 3.9 million acres of land were under illegal occupation in the province.

Over 2.8 million acres of forest land and above a million acres of state land was encroached throughout Sindh while more than one hundred thousand acres of land were illegally occupied in the provincial capital Karachi alone in connivance with officers of revenue department and other relevant agencies of provincial government, he claimed.

He alleged that five hundred thousand entries in revenue record were fake and deputy commissioners of different districts and members of Land Utilization were involved in land grabbing while many of them were under investigation as well.

Sheikh said that an entire district of Karachi was handed over to certain people as a reward of political maneuvering in Balochistan while revenue record was burnt to facilitate land grabbing that was at its peak. State land along Northern Bypass was being encroached and anti-encroachment force had become 'encroachment police'' in Sindh, he added.

Haleem held PPP Sindh government responsible of illegal construction of Nasla Tower while arguing that in 2013 a no objection certificate was issued for the project after fake documentation through various provincial departments including Co-operative Societies department, Sindh Building Control Authority, KMC and Local Government department.

All the ministers and officers who headed the relevant departments during course of the time were responsible of the situation and they must be made accountable and brought to justice, Haleem demanded adding that compensation amount meant to be disbursed among the affected owners of the tower be recovered from those officers and public office holders.

He also expressed sympathy to people who purchased apartments in Nasla Tower as they had witnessed official NOCs and documents and were unaware that all those documents were fake and counterfeit.

Expressing concerns on inordinate delay in rehabilitation of Gujar Nullah affected population Haleem Adil Sheikh said that Sindh government could not acquire land for resettling the poor affected people and illogically connecting the issue with receivables from Bahria Town.

Federal government had already issued Rs 35 billion to FWO and NDMA and work was under progress, he added.

He said that amount to be received from the Bahria Town must be utilized for welfare of the people of Sindh as the Chief Justice of Pakistan had already passed remarks in that regard.

Haleem Adil Sheikh also condemned the project of construction of new chief minister house and suggested that Rs 1.2 billion rupees allocated for the purpose could be utilized to compensate the affected people of Gujjar Nala and Nasla Tower instead of building a luxury mansion from public exchequer.

"We thank Murad Ali Shah for construction of a new CM house for us before his departure from the old one," the leader of the opposition sarcastically commented adding that Sindh did not need a new lavish building and the old CM house was sufficient to work.

He further said that PPP government and its ministers were focusing only on embezzlement of national resources.

Livestock department was running a project to provide buffaloes to poor farmers but the concerned minister on Monday distributed those buffaloes among wealthy persons instead of the deserving ones, he said.

Haleem Adil Sheikh said that PPP had deviated from its ideology and running affairs of Sindh by force and coercion that was evident from the brutal use of police force to victimize political opponents. He asked how a common man could be safe when false and fabricated cases were being registered against leader of the opposition.

He said that Model Court Ghotki exonerated him from such a false case while he was acquitted from another case earlier registered in District Umerkot. "Unveiling corruption and wrongdoings of PPP government was my only crime," he maintained adding that he was declared innocent by courts of the law but ugly faces of Bilawal, Murad Ali Shah and their corrupt cabinet were being unmasked before the people.

Haleem Adil Sheikh also raised the issue of robber gangs operating on both sides of Sindh-Punjab border and demanded a joint operation by Rangers and police of both the provinces so that writ of law could be established in the area and people could live peacefully without any fear of criminal elements.

The Punjab government while taking notice of brutal murder of 11 people of Indhar tribe suspended SSP and DSP of the area and initiated high scale operation in Katcha area, Haleem said, alleging that, but on the other side of the border robbers were being patronized by PPP leaders and katcha area of Sindh had become a safe haven of robber gangs even outlaws from the other side of border took refuge there.

In Kandhkot 9 people of Chachar tribe were murdered mercilessly many days ago and bereaved families were still awaiting justice, Haleem said and alleged that their assassins were at large because their patrons were sitting in assembly and power corridors of Sindh.

Replying to a query Haleem Adil said that issue of Malir Expressway should be settled according to wishes of the local population. PPP ministers had already planned corruption in the project and project would be designed on the land that was illegally possessed by them, he alleged.

Moula Bux Soomro, speaking at the occasion alleged Jacobabad police of victimizing political workers and businessmen who support PTI by involving them in false cases. Recently a well known businessman of the area Laalchand Seetlani was taken into illegal custody and tortured vehemently by police, he alleged adding that a protest was underway in against SSP Jacobabad at the time.