Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: By withdrawing the case from the high court filed by the Telephone Industries of Pakistan (TIP), the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) has paved the way for handing over 2754 kanals of TIP land to Etisalat, a company defaulting on payment of billions of rupees.

Over 800 homes, a 50-bed hospital, three schools, a club, a park and a staff college are located over this large swath of land.

The estimated cost of this land runs to more than Rs 50 billion. TIP is ranked among those companies which came into existence soon after the creation of Pakistan. Later TIP played a pivotal role in terms of infrastructure and electronic and technical infrastructure.

TIP was established in the area of 3797 kanals of land in 1952 at Haripur, in collaboration with the then best company across the world, Siemens. TIP was registered under the company act and with passage of time it was transformed into the country’s leading company. It contributed enormously to building the country’s institutions.

The parliamentary committee on IT expressed grave concern in this perspective that land worth over Rs 50 billion was being handed over to such a company which is already a defaulter of billions of rupees.

The Member Information Committee, Maj (Retd) Tahir Iqbal, asked how such land was being handed over to Etisalat.

The State minister for IT, Anoshay Rehman, while giving a reply to this query said that this land was handed over to the PTCL in 2004 under an SRO. This land was given as a gesture of goodwill, she added.

TIP resorted to the court when the SRO was issued to hand over this land to the PTCL. TIP told the court that this land was only owned by TIP and the Government of Pakistan.

The case was subjudice when Anoushay Rehman decided during the board’s meeting to withdraw the case from the court. This move led to pave the way for Etisalat to grab the land.

Later TIP workers union moved the court against handing over the land to Etisalat.

Earlier NRTC, which is a subsidiary of the ministry of defence production, acquired 611 kanals land out of 3797 kanals land from TIP that they would return 611 kanals land after purchasing it at some other place. But still this 611 kanals land is in the possession of NRTC. Neither 611 kanals land has been returned to TIP nor has the cost of this land been paid so far. NRTC has earned billions of rupees through the use of this land.

When contacted, NRTC chief Brig Iftikhar, refused to talk to Daily Times on this matter. On the other hand efforts were made several times to talk to the minister of defence production, Rana Tanvir but no contact could be made with him.

Anoushay Rehman, through her spokesperson Saghir Wattoo, said that the land was owned by the Government of Pakistan and this had been provided to Etisalat through an SRO. “We are not at fault in any way. As the Government of Pakistan is a major stake holder of the PTIC therefore, there is no need to worry in this respect”.

Former finance minister and EX-MNA from Hari Pur, Omar Ayub Khan, told Daily Times that in 2007 the decision was made in order to facilitate the KRL to work in TIP so that high technology components were manufactured here and it becomes a profitable high technology manufacturer.

The KRL quit in 2009. He said that statements alleging that TIP had been privatised were false. It can be revitalised and it is a state owned entity.

Moreover TIP is a complex of capabilities as it handled not only telecom prodects but had good business relations with various government and private organisations like NTC, SCO, Ufone, WAPDA, KESC, NRTC, AWC NESCOM, PAEC, PMO KRL, NDC POF, PAF. With sixty years of basic telecommunication infrastructure the revitalisation and business plan of TIP is in pending in the Ministry of Information Technology since 2010.