HYDERABAD:
The National Accountability Bureau has charged former Sindh local government, livestock and fisheries minister Jam Khan Shoro and his brother Kashif Shoro, former chairperson of the Qasimabad municipal committee, in a land scam of over Rs5 billion.
According to the reference, the two brothers in connivance with 15 other government officers forged the land record and usurped 20.13 acres of land in Deh Jamshoro which belonged to the irrigation department.
According to the NAB, Jam Khan usurped 4.3 acres of the state land worth around Rs2.76 billion by forging the land revenue record in which he got changed the location of the survey numbers two, three and four. The land, which belonged to the irrigation department, was actually located between the new and old Phuleli canals but the forged record showed it at the main Jamshoro Road.
His relative, Karan Khan Shoro also allegedly usurped another two pieces of land measuring 15.23 acres causing loss of Rs2.26 billion to the exchequer.
The land consisting the survey number 511 and New Jamshoro village, measuring 11.10 acres and 4.13 acres, respectively, also belonged to the irrigation department.
Kashif Shoro also submitted an application to amend the revenue record for survey number 511 and the new Jamshoro village in their favour. The revenue issued the Ghat Wadh forms numbers 133 and 134 on June 13, 2014, for creation of the survey number 511 and new Jamshoro village. The forms carried signatures of six of the 15 accused persons who were in the government service besides three accused from the Shoro family.
Late Khuda Dino Shoro, former director settlement survey and land record, on May 6, 2014, wrote to the inspector revenue and city survey to take further action in respect of the application of Shoro.
Former Qasimabad assistant commissioner Shahnawaz Soomro, former mukhtiarkar Ali Zulfiqar and former supervising tapedar Muhammad Bachal Mirbahar made illegal entries in the revenue record about the said land, incorporating the entry numbers 256 and 257 against the two pieces of land.
Khuda Dino illegally changed the locations of the survey numbers one, two, three and four in the Deh map from their original location along the Phuleli canal side to main Jamshoro road. The land was originally earmarked for the headworks of the irrigation department. “… there is no provision in the revenue laws to change location of the survey numbers in the Deh maps which were prepared during the British regime more than 100 years ago,” the reference underlined.
On August 30, 2007, Jam Khan was given no objection certificate (NOC) by former district coordinating officer (DCO) Aftab Ahmed Khatri to set up a CNG filling station named M/S Indus CNG. Allegedly, a fake sketch of the land was enclosed in the application for the NOC showing wrong location of the land in question.
The former district officer revenue Syed Muhammad Sajjad Haider Shah in his report about the CNG station had submitted that during his site visit he did not find any encroachment on the government land by the station.
“He concealed the fact that above mentioned land was neither commercial land nor situated at main Jamshoro road according to the Deh map.”
Jam Khan on March 3, 2016, also applied for conversion of land to director P&DC of HDA. The assistant director P&DC Asghar Memon calculated the land conversion fee at Rs22.919 million but ex director P&DC Shahid Pervez Memon unlawfully reduced the fee to Rs15.846 million causing loss of over Rs7 million to HDA.
The reference noted that the actual land owned by Shoros was agricultural and residential but the usurped land was commercial in nature. The price of land has been valued at Rs120,000 per square yard.
The accused have been charged under sections 9 (a), (iv), (vi) and (xii) punishable under Section 10 of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
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