Lost the plot: PM allots land to 71 civil servants

Several bureaucrats unhappy after their names were dropped from list.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has allotted plots to 71 civil servants from BS-22 posts during his tenure, according to officials documents.

The plots were awarded through the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) and beneficiaries included federal secretaries, special secretaries, secretary generals and other top officials in Islamabad. Thirteen ambassadors were also among those provided with land.

The documents, examined by The Express Tribune, also disclosed that the Ministry of Housing and Works allotted 138 plots to civil servants from November 2, 2006 to November 29, 2009.

The allocation of plots has been met with controversy. Last month Member of the National Assembly Nisar Tanveer asked about discriminatory procedures. According to her, several civil servants from BS-22 posts were not given plots until they reached the age of retirement. “Solid justification of discrimination will be presented in the parliament,” she said.

Almost a dozen BS-22 civil servants told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity that their names were dropped from the list of beneficiaries. However, they hesitated to give more details about the matter.

Federal Minister for Housing and Works Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, in his written reply to the National Assembly, forwarded a list of 138 civil servants who had received plots under the FGEHF. Secretary Ministry of National Harmony Syed Anees Moosvi ruled out the possibility of discrimination. “All civil servants of BS-22 get plots, but the only issue is the limited availability of plots in the federal capital,” he said. “Officers want plots in posh sectors of Islamabad, which is nearly impossible according to city managers.”

Top officials who were given plots include the following: Secretary General to the President Salman Farooqui, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs Salman Bashir, Chairman Federal Board of Investment Salman Siddique, Secretary (retd) Ministry of Information Ashfaq Ahmad Gondal, Director General (retd) Intelligent Bureau Dr Shoab Suddle, Secretary (retd) Livestock Muhammad Ali Afridi, Special Secretary to Prime Minister’s Secretariat (Public) Shahzad Qaiser and Waqar Masood Khan, Registrar Supreme Court Dr Faqir Hussain, Special Secretary Senate Secretariat Iftikharullah Babar, among others.(The designations of some of those named above have been updated to their current posts based on information available.)

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2011.