Kamal, others indicted in illegal land allotment case

An accountability court issued on Saturday indictments to former Karachi nazim and Pak Sarzameen Party chairperson Mustafa Kamal and others accused in a reference pertaining to illegal land allotment.

The court summoned witnesses at the next hearing after the accused denied the charges.

According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Kamal, Iftikhar Qaimkhani and others accused illegally transferred government land in Clifton, causing losses of at least Rs2.5 billion.

The land in question, comprising 2000 yards, was reserved for newspaper vendors and a mosque, but the accused claimed to have purchased it in 2002. The land is currently worth over Rs6 billion, while NAB has seized the false documents and land records.

Talking to the media outside the courtroom, Kamal said Pakistan's rulers were reluctant to devolve power to the lower levels of government.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan should stick to his word and restore the local government system," he insisted, adding that local government and electoral reforms had become inevitable. "The PM used to say he will bring an ideal local government system to Pakistan. I ask him not to take a U-turn and fulfil his promises."

He claimed there had been no focus on local bodies since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf took power in the Centre, opining that the local police and communities should be involved in these issues or else they would not be resolved.

Kamal also called for a proper system to curb the rising incidents of sexual abuse and rape of children, stating that merely passing legislation was not enough.

Verdict

Meanwhile, an accountability court acquitted Fishermen's Cooperative Society (FCS) vice-chairperson Sultan Qamar Siddiqi in an assets beyond means reference after NAB failed to prove charges against him.

The anti-graft watchdog had presented 16 witnesses against Siddiqi in the trial, which went on for four years.

According to NAB, he had allegedly acquired assets beyond his income through committing corruption worth Rs40 million.

Siddiqi is currently in prison after his bail plea was rejected plea in a separate corruption reference, pertaining to illegal appointments in the FCS.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2020.