Land grabbing: Nisar bars housing societies from buying land in capital

Says rule will not apply on schemes for low-income govt employees

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has imposed a ban on land acquisition for setting up private housing societies in Islamabad.

On Sunday, he suggested barring the unethical use of certain laws to acquire land from poor villagers and locals at low rates for the benefit of a specific economic class.

He has since ordered the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration to not become part of any exercise which aims to deprive the poor of their land against petty payments.

The interior minister has ordered the interior ministry special secretary to conduct an inquiry and to cancel land acquisitions made under section four in Bhara Kahu for a housing foundation.

At the same time, he said he would fully support the acquisition of land for housing societies which were meant for lower-cadre government employees, provided that locals are compensated for the land at market rates.

“Land grabbing, whether it is attempted by the government or the private sector, will not be allowed at any cost in my tenure as interior minister,” he categorically announced.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2016.