Who Owns the Outlandish
40-Kanal Chak Shahzad Land in Islamabad?
Special
SAT Report
ISLAMABAD:
Guess who is going to be the next door neighbor of Nawaz Sharif’s
infamous persecution Czar, Saifur Rehman of Ehtesaab (Accountability)
Bureau?
SA
Tribune has gathered some clues and soon all names and details
will be made public. But for the time being it would be enough
to say that the land next door to Saifur Rehman’s Chak Shahzad
Plot, the fast developing elite sector of Islamabad, has been
acquired by a many starred General, one who is really powerful
and who is in the center of current show.
Our
sources say a 40-Kanal plot of land has been taken over by this
latest addition to the long list of land grabbers in the Capital
of Pakistan. Why the land belongs to a General is evident from
a visit on the spot. Military bulldozers, excavators, land diggers
and levelers are working over time to make this piece of land
the prime residence of this top star uniformed man who, like previous
rulers of the country, does not want to stay homeless when out
of job.
Witnesses
have seen a Range Rover coming over to the site of the on-going
work in progress many a time in the evenings and the vehicle is
always properly guarded and fully camouflaged not to reveal the
identity of the owners who seem excited about their choice of
land and designs of their new palace.
The
price of the land is said to be close to Rs 30 million in the
open market but what under-invoiced rate has been paid by the
owner of this plot, if any, is yet to be disclosed. Certainly
it would be something close to the declared value of Finance Minister
Shaukat Aziz’s Manhattan Pent House in the posh UN Plaza
Building. Just to recall, Mr. Aziz declared to the Election Commission
that his Pent House was valued to US$175,000 when the real worth
of such a prized property is over $10 million. But who is asking?
The Frontier Works Organization (FWO)
is said to be busy in this new Chak Shahzad piece of land in a
hurry because the owners are not sure whether the palace they
want to build on this huge monstrosity would ever get completed
before this present government gets thrown out of power. So like
all previous power wielders, the present ones are using, and misusing,
all state resources to complete their new residence, an impressive
one to show that it belongs to someone in power now and, someone
who had been in power, when ousted.
Attention is, however, going to get
focused on this new project in Islamabad as something this big
in the center of the capital cannot stay hidden. Questions are
being prepared for the Parliament to seek information, though
everyone believes and understands, that no such information would
be forthcoming, at least until the present lot of Generals stays
in power.
But the record has to be kept and
a gazette maintained, like it was done in the previous governments.
Accountability will begin when these people yield power and then
it would be seen whether they acquired the property legally or
they grabbed it using the power of their gun.
Yet
the one undeniable conclusion which can be drawn even now is that
the present lot of rulers, uniformed and in civvies, are no different
than the previous ones accused of gross corruption. They are doing
exactly what they have been accusing others of doing and persecuting
them. So logically, when the scene changes, the present looters
and plunderers will have to face the same music.
The
only difference is that because they have not learnt any lessons
from the misdeeds of the past rulers, as is evident from their
deeds now, the level of punishment and prosecution will have to
be increased manifold and some examples will have to be made to
deter others. It is just possible that the owners of the new plot
of land in Chak Shahzad will be the ones who become the prime
examples in the not too distant a future.
