Daily Times

KARACHI: The Anti Corruption Circle of Federal Investigation Agency has initiated an inquiry into the illegal occupation, sale and construction of quarters in Postal and Telegraph (P&T) Colony on Gizri Road during the tenure of Mustafa Kamal, former City Nazim , Karachi ; department officials have informed.

Sarwer Ali Shah, Assistant Director ACC after receiving detailed information about the false practices in P&T Colony has requested department high ups to start a probe in this connection.

FIA has asked KMC to provide attested copies of lease, files in respect of allottees and details of postings and names of KMC directors, their deputies and assistants holding offices from 2006 besides names of officials of KMC lease and planning department including names of land surveyors till date.

On the direction of FIA high ups, Ali Hussan Zardari, Inspector ACC FIA vide letter FIA/ACC/Kar/ENQ-28/2017/3592-93, July 12, 2017 has asked KMC to provide these documents as early as possible in order to proceed further and complete the investigations as soon as possiple.

More than 24 officials including 8 directors of KMC are suspected to be involved in this scam and can be rounded up by FIA.

According to legal experts, two investigation agencies are not allowed to investigate against any institution in the same case at the same time. KMC is the only entity which is being investigated for this fraud but other institutions like CBC are not being investigated on their respective wrong doings, legal experts were of the view.

Earlier, it had been established during enquiry by the Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) that fraudulent lease was issued which paved the way to sell the plots resulting in construction of high rise buildings without acquiring ‘No Objection Certificate’ from concerned authorities .

Into commission of offence, KMC katchi Abadi’s wing had been issuing illegal leases, sales of land and plots, as well as Cantonment Board Clifton and Sindh Building Control Authority were involved on this pretext. These authorities have no jurisdiction for building regulation of katchi abadis.

In 2007, through KMC City Council resolution 126, January 20, 2007 regarding regularisation of P&T/Telegraph and Telephone (T&T) Colony as kachi abadi was forwarded by Mustafa Kamal, Nazim City District Government (CDGK-now defunct) to Additional Chief Secretary, Local Government Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) and Spatial Development, government of Sindh for necessary action in the matter.

In response, SKAA on January 26, 2007 had published a government gazette and notified P&T Colony as katchi abadi in Saddar Town, Karachi.

In pursuance to the gazette notification, the then KMC City Council passed and approved the layout plan of P&T Colony as katchi abadi vide Council resolution 300, November 19, 2007.

Later on a restraining order against the issuance of leases to P&T Colony by Sindh High Court on March 1, 2010 it was communicated through advocate law department to CDGK (defunct) vide letter, March 9, 2010, and the order is still operative as per record. All the leases given during 2007 were issued during the same week and time in favour of lessees.

The KMC officials involved in the lease and other illegal matters include Adeeb Alam, Mazhar Khan, Rehan Khan and M Usman.

Whereas, facts remain that ACE, KMC and CBC are squarely responsible to take action against encroachment and illegal construction.

The P&T and T&T settlements existed prior to 1978 on land of KMC which had been allotted to Pakistan Post and Telegraph Department by KMC in 1952 on an area of 50 acres of land for the purpose to rehabilitate migrated people from India after partition.

On understanding that P&T Department shall pay the amount as cost of land occupancy value, it failed to deposit remaining full cost of land within stipulated period.

In the year 1991, KMC Council anonymously passed a council resolution no 1070 March 31, 1991 to P&T department on default on payment and cancelled allotment under Land Act.

Hence prima facie case of illegal lease, construction, amalgamation, change of purpose made out against Asadullah Kathuria, Abdul Aleem Rizwan, Kachori, Adnan, Noor Ali. Amir Hani and Faqeer Muhammad all builders, Asif Usman (DSP/beneficiary, Sarfaraz Matloob, the then Deputy Director Encroachment katchi abadi, KMC, the then Deputy Director Katchi Abadi, KMC, Mazhar Khan, Director katchi abadi KMC and others have been lodged on direction of ACE on behalf of State.

This inquiry of ACC FIA is the forth in row as earlier the department has initiated inquiries in Education Department KMC, Allied Bank Limited (ABL) Civic Centre branch’s KMC funds fraud and China land cutting against KMC land officials in different parts of Karachi.

FIA also arrested KMC’s Education Director Mansoor Mirza, his predecessor Muhammad Amin, Deputy Director Raziuddin, Assistant Director Muhammad Mazhar, clerks Hassan Ahmed and Naveed James, ABL’s officer Aleem Qadri and KMC’s Additional Director Saleem Khan in ABL case.

Published in Daily Times, July 15^th , 2017.