LAHORE: The Punjab Anti-Corruption Facility (ACE) has recovered 36 kanals of land supposedly invaded by the mills of the Sharif family in Sahiwal about 37 years ago.
According to ACE, Ittefaq Sugar Mills had invaded an area of state land measuring 36 kanals and was part of it in 1982. However, (the mills) had moved its machinery to Rahim Yar Khan to establish other sugar mills that recently stopped. by the Supreme Court.
After recovering the land on Saturday in collaboration with the deputy commissioner of Sahiwal, the income officers and police, the head of ACE, Gohar Nafees, ordered an investigation into the matter to order responsibility in this regard and receive & # 39; rent & # 39; of the factory owners for 37 years, so the loss of the national treasury could be compensated.
"The Sharif family member will soon receive notices in this regard from ACE to record their statements regarding the invasion of state lands," said an official Dawn.
Anti-corruption official insists that the measure is not political
He said that upon receiving a source report on the matter, the matter was discussed with the assistant commissioner of Pakpattan and the revenue department that confirmed the invasion of state lands by Ittefaq Sugar Mills. "This movement should not be seen as a politician since ACE is showing zero tolerance against those who occupied state lands," he said.
On Saturday, ACE officials, income and police visited the site. Of the 36 kanals of land occupied within the mills, 16 kanals were found vacant and in the remaining area sugar stores and a laboratory were built.
According to the official, the value of the land on the site was Rs22.5m. "The rent of the land has not been paid since 1982 and its value will be billions," he said.
At present, the official said, this ingenuity was not working since the Sharif family had changed their machinery to Rahim Yar Khan to establish another sugar mill. "Although this mill in Sahiwal had not worked for quite some time, its owners had possession of the land," he said.
Meanwhile, the ACE may again interrogate former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Kot Lakhpat prison regarding a three-decade case related to the alleged illegal assignment of land belonging to the Baba Farid sanctuary in Pakpattan.
A team of four ACE members about two months ago had recorded Sharif's statement in jail in this case.
However, Sharif could not give a satisfactory answer to ACE, saying how he could remember something so old.
According to sources, when the ACE team sought an answer on the accusation that, being the prime minister of Punjab in 1986, he assigned the land in violation of the court order, Sharif said: "It is a case of more than 30 years and I don't remember any of this. My legal team will respond in this regard. ”
A joint investigation team (JIT) earlier this year recommended the start of a criminal proceeding against several people, including the then chief minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif, for withdrawing a notification from December 17, 1969 and assign 14,394 kanals to Auqaf around the sanctuary to Dewan Ghulam. Qutab in 1986, allegedly in violation of an order of the Superior Court of Lahore (LHC).
Sharif is serving a seven-year prison sentence in the case of Al Azizia Mills.
Shafique Butt also contributed to this Sahiwal report
Posted on Dawn, September 29, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1507918/land-encroached-upon-by-sharifs-37-years-ago-retrieved