Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Friday opposed claims made by the provincial minister for Revenue and Estate that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government had expedited steps to digitize the land and revenue records.

“Work is underway. We have seven districts under phase-1, but we have to add 12 more districts to that list. The task to computerize record is almost completed. But construction work on our centers is in progress with a little delay because of funds shortage,” KP Revenue Minister Ali Amin Gandapur told Daily Times.

He said land record computerisation drive was ongoing in almost all districts and in some cases 90% work had been completed in some districts.

He said there were some other hindrances to be tackled such as hiring computer operators who would be hired in scale 16 instead of earlier decision to recruit them in scale 12.

“The decision is yet to be taken that computer operators should be recruited by the provincial government or through the public service commission,” he added.

However, the land record computerization task would be completed phase wise, he reiterated.

“A process is ongoing in Bannu, Kohat, Lakki Marwat and Hangu districts,” he remarked.

But Jafar Shah, Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Awami National Party (ANP), said that these “all are pack of lies and they (PTI) spent four-and-a-half-years in telling lies.”

“Where have they computerized the record (land)? I didn’t see any such steps here, but if they have done in Banigala, then I don’t know. These are only claims without an iota of truth and there is nothing like that on the ground,” Shah added.

Gandapur said his government was doing all this with great care to dodge any error because the government has to verify the record amid documentation.

According to the manifesto of PTI, it is committed to introducing land reforms such as monitoring the ownership and use of distributed state land and ensure credit and agriculture support services to farmers, computerize land records, initiate separate monitoring mechanisms to monitor the settlement of land ceiling disputes and to improve the timely settlement of cases and enforcement of verdicts and expedite distribution of cultivable state land among landless farmers.

Fakhr Azam Wazir, MPA from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), recalled that that question was raised in the last budget session in which the PTI lawmakers replied that 20% or 25% land record had been computerized.

“I don’t think the PTI has done 25% work because I didn’t observe land computerization on the ground. These are lies. There is no such thing like that,” Wazir noted. He said that he didn’t see any land digitization or computerization even in his own constituency — PK-71 Bannu-11, or Bannu or Lakki Marwat.

Published in Daily Times, October 21^st 2017.