LAHORE:
A former chief minister of Punjab is yet to return official paraphernalia and household items – worth Rs4 million – that he took with him from the official residence after vacating it, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa – the younger son of senior Punjab adviser Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa – was elected chief minister in April 2008 and held the post till June 2008.
When he was sworn in as the chief minister, 12-B Aikman Road GOR-I was allotted to Khosa as his official residence. The house was officially declared the Chief Minister House and significant renovations were made on the residence. The Communication and Works Department purchased and provided new furniture, electronic appliances, crockery, lights and paintings for the house on the demands of then chief minister.
The refurbishments cost around Rs4 million to the public exchequer. After June 2008, when Shahbaz Sharif took over the post of chief minister, Khosa was assigned the portfolio of Local Government and Community Development.
On June 29, 2010, Sharif received various complaints of corruption and abuse of authority. He consequently reshuffled the departments of four cabinet members belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) including Khosa — who was given charge of Industries, Commerce and Investment Department.
In November 2011, due to certain differences with the government, Khosa left the official residence of GOR-I and shifted to a private house in DHA, Lahore.
The Express Tribune has learnt that, while vacating the official residence, Khosa’s personal employees – on his orders – allegedly took away furniture, electronic appliances, beds, paintings and crockery with them to his private residence.
In March 2012, the Race Course Police Station registered a criminal case against Khosa for the alleged kidnapping of Sapna Khan, his former wife. The PML-N conveyed to Khosa that it was facing immense criticism owing to his indictment in a criminal case. Khosa resigned from his post on April 4, 2012.
The Services and General Administration Department had allotted the official residence vacated by Khosa to Manshullah Butt, an adviser to Punjab’s chief minister in February 2012.
When Mansha’s men visited the official residence they found that all the belongings were missing from the house. The matter was taken up with XEN Communication and Works – the custodian of the official residence – who wrote a letter to Khosa to return all the official belongings allegedly taken from the government residence.
In response to the letter, Khosa wrote to the secretary of the Communication and Works Department that no item was taken away during shifting and officials were alleging theft without any solid evidence. Javed Butt, an employee of Khosa, said: “These are mere allegations to malign Sahib”.
Meanwhile, a senior official of Communication and Works Department requesting anonymity alleged that some used furniture after new polishing had been offered by Khosa but it was not accepted due to inferior quality.
The official alleged that the items had been taken away and shifted to Dera Ghazi Khan to Khosa’s ancestral family house.
He added that the former chief minister had been given the option to pay compensation of the missing items if he was not willing to return them. However, no reply has yet been received from Khosa.
(Read: The end of the affair)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (45)
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i like this blog!thank u!!
@Flowers delivery services Pakistan: i thankful to all who expressed love for my work.
Excellent. Please keep up the good work for the concise and informative articles. This is more informative than other media, I really like following your blog as the articles are so simple to read
Mr Khosa furniture chor (thief) .He earned his name. Please prosecute him. Is punjab govt listening?
In this country, might is right and enforcement of law is applicable only on the poor, irrespective of the fact, whether the government is of PMLN, PPP, ANP, MQM or any other party. This rotten political system, is designed for the rule of elite. Take it or leave it. In this country, nothing will change, till such time this political system is scraped.
@Mirza: Some blind will allow you to hold their hand help them cross the road, but some blinds are arrogant they don't take your help and try to cross the road with their inflated ego and eventually disturb the flow of traffic by getting killed, Nice young of Pakistan had both eyes, but want to be behaving like blind, why, it must be IK influence,
Leave it to the blind supporters of PML-N and Sharifs, they would find some bright spot in this shameful news. Unless the stolen goods are returned and hefty fines paid this process would continue in the best governed province of Paksitan.
@azeb: If you had read the full news, you must had noticed that rule are applied, merit is also, that is the reason he is no more minister or even in government. But who can force you to read it all and understand also, some are doing assignment taking against PML N.
Now Khadim Aala should take a surprise visit to Khosa house to really know about the belongings. but he will not do so, yeh, political interests.
Voters please remember the political brand name KHOSA in 2013 elections. Looks like the brand has sticky fingers.
Khosa's ancestral home would have been better stuffed with ancestral furniture as a mark of respect to his ancestors.
After reading this story they should be ashamed off for claiming master of merit in Pakistan. Where is so called Mr. Merit?
After reading this story question arises where is 'Mr Merit'? Many fold more money is wasted in campimg of the chief executive who like to be called Khadim e Alaah
@zia: Typical IK style, without reading the full news, or incapable of understanding it in simple form start blaming PML N, current government is doing what it is suppose to do, thank you shahbaz sharif implementing the rule, not sparing your own party man, any other provincial CM did this during 4.5 years, let us know please. But read the full news before opening mouth, I am surprise how much nice young of Pakistanis are misguided that they blam without knowing the facts. Typical IK style, give the cricket expert opinion on the match of football. look at the ground look at the match before speaking please.
You have a choice and not voting in these people again. That is the beauty of democracy and open media.
This is his birthright.........that is exactly what he thinks and will keep on doing so.........until such time the people stand up and say otherwise.
@Jagjit sidhoo: Agreed that every religion in the world tells to be pateint, tolerant, honest and true. Religion is a personal matter of every one but the problem starts when we start to patronize ourselves and term others are wrong. I think culture comes first because it creats space for various communities to live together. Religion never!!!
Typical PMLN style!!
Feudalism is the root cause of corruption. ET to obtain elder Khosa's views of his son's disgraceful attitude both politically and morally. This is why people are becoming fed up from present democratic system in Pakistan, according to politicians which means, 'social inequality'.
@Abbas: A lot of us claim to be religious , every religion asks us to be honest and to tell the truth , so we can see how religious we really are.
@Baba Ji: His own right is wrong, look who are on his right and left now? He will fix the Pak problems with help of those who created it on the first place. Just look around him please.
@MN: Look at who is taking, those who live only on charity or donation of others by exploiting the goodness of pakistanis and using their Money and goodness for political reason. Their political height for 16 years were less than an inch, inch = 25.4 mm, now trying to inflate themseve and posing like a giant, the general election will de- inflat them to the level that you can pack them in a match box. Love you all Pakistanis. Khosa did what is wrong tradition in Pakistan, he should had not.
Lets blame President Zardari for this!
@Jaakhuzg@Wakhzerland: If one has the right intentions 90 days is a long time
He is their Best man after KHADIM E ALA ....What a shame
Nops! IK alone couldn't get away with this menace as well, as his deputies and contestants belong to the same old parties. We as a nation has the same tendency at all levels. A taxi or a rickshaw driver wants to earn all his income from one passenger, While telling the price of fruits, a fruit seller never ashamed off. Neither you find a single person to trust upon while dealing routine matters a lord-tenant, shopkeepers, transporters even public offices. No body is doing its job rightly, come late, go early, and play tricks. What a nation we have and still we talk and live in the past... Oh glorius past! Was there any? So we have to change ourselves indiviually and then we can make our rational choices. Change is neither quick nor comes from above. It always comes from down.
@ baba ji you forget one thing 90 days....he is gonna set all this right in 90 days....
I guess he belongs to PMLN and selected by NS.Well done NS, It shows your vision and intellectual ability. Big applause for you and your party. Shahbaz acclaim merit in his speeches and look on merit they selected this person.
This is a lie and a conspiracy against the most sacred and honest party of the country who never indulged in corruption. The kid was asked to keep the seat warm for Sharif and he took some memorabilia after his short pilgrimage to power land. We must continue to say that Punjab is the best governed province in Pakistan. No wonder most of the population of Pakistan is happy and thriving! If you don't believe me ask Sharifs.
@Baba Ji: I hope he gets a chance , he will be good for Pakistan
What else you should from Sardars, Waderas, Nawabs, Choudhries, Khans regardless of wherever they are in cabinets,in politics, in police,in army,in judiciary, in civil services etc. Thei titles are a license to do wrongs are a matter of right.
Sapna case and sweeping out all precious materials in the CM house! Both the allegations cannot be wrong. He is not such a popular personality that one can be jealous of!!!
Imran Khan will set all this right .... right ?
Shameless characters belonging to shameless party PMLN
2 months... 40 million, one murder! Good Lord.
Saeen tu Saeen ... Saeen ka Baita bhi Saeen .....
may be he was saving the stuff from the new chief minister and moved it for safe keeping
Shame! Shame!! looters
May be he is in urgent need of those things, or simply liked them, any way he will give it back if arslan return 400 million. I assure you that, it was only ignorance on his part like Shokeet x pm and general mush.
Household items worth 4MM just for 2 months of chief ministry? Can I become the CM anytime soon?
What else could be expected from a thief......he showed his true colors.
Lies, greed, theft, lowliness, brazenness...at every level, high to low...is this how a country supposed to work?
Haven’t you learn your lesson yet, they are in it, stop complaining and start looting now.