You think? Rs. 75 billion is well over 1 billion $$ and you dont think there any corruption in this?
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=10588
499 farmhouses are worth Rs75bn!
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The existing market price of the farmhouses spread over 2500 acres of land in the suburbs of Islamabad and owned by only 499 individuals is a staggering 75 billion, and each top gun, on average, owns a farmhouse worth Rs150 million.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry resumes the hearing of this extraordinary case on Thursday (today), which might finally lead to cancellation of allotment of these farmhouses, as it has now emerged that most of these farms are being used for purposes other than for which they were originally allotted by the CDA.
The CJ has already directed the CDA to conduct a survey of these farmhouses and cancel the allotment of those farms which were violating the terms and conditions of the allotment policy.
The publication of the names of these 499 holy cows in ëThe Newsí and ëJangí on Wednesday, has set the alarm bells ringing and the owners have held an emergency meeting at the residence of a top government authority at Chak Shahzad to evolve a strategy to save themselves from the drastic action by the Supreme Court. They are planning to hire the services of a top lawyer to defend them in the court.
These influential people including civil-military bureaucrats and politicians quite conveniently got these plots allotted by the CDA from time to time at throwaway price in the name of growing vegetables, poultry and orchards. President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also purchased their farmhouses from the original allotees.
The most prominent among these 499 owners are General Pervez Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz who bought these plots in 2003 from their original owners. Justice Javed Iqbal, Wasim Sajad, Saifur Rehman, Naheed Khan, former interior minister Wasim Shahzad, ISI, Hafeez Pirzada, top military and civilian officers are included in the list.
But their allotment is in danger of being canceled after the CJ directed the CDA to lunch a survey and cancel the allotments of those farms which were being used for the purpose other than for which they were actually allotted.
Meanwhile, several property dealers of Islamabad have confirmed to ëThe Newsí that the current market value of the land owned by 499 privileged individual is Rs75 billion. One property dealer said one acre of land in this area sells for Rs200-250 million. ìThe network of carpeted roads leading to these farmhouses has further hiked the price of these expensive farmsî, the dealer commented.
The SC has been informed that many powerful people have converted these farmhouses into big palaces, mini golf courses, marriage halls, ball rooms, banquet halls, small cinema houses etc. These people have also been enjoying the patronage of the CDA authorities and thus were not touched in the past by the regulations wing of the authority.
Talking to ëThe Newsí, senator Anwer Baig who had already appeared before the SC to give testimony in the case, confirmed that he would continue to pursue the case. Earlier, the SC was told that these farmhouses were actually allotted by CDA in a bid to develop a permanent source of supply of vegetables, poultry and fruits for the people of the twin cities. But, instead, these plots were simply being used for construction of big palaces and recreational facilities. Even ISI also got two big farmhouses allotted in its name for producing poultry and vegetables.
Talking to The News, Chairman CDA Kamran Lashari said the authority was conducting a survey of these farms, as directed by the Supreme Court, and would submit the report to the court of honourable CJ for further action.