Warraich denies coercion in land sale

Claims land deal was cancelled by Privilege Farms, his father was awaiting to return the NIC money.

ISLAMABAD: Mohsin Warraich in whose name red warrants were issued on Sunday by the FIA has strongly refuted the charge that his father, Major (retd) Habibullah Warraich had forcibly acquired the 803 kanals from small farmers and later palmed off this land to National Insurance Company at exorbitant prices.

“These all are lies as we had started buying this land since 1980 through legal channels from the legal owners,” Mohsin, breaking his silence told this correspondent over telephone from Dubai.

He said it was wrong to say that his father had got the small farmers arrested and had them released only after they did his bidding.

He claimed that had this been  the case, then the Punjab government would have already booked his father on these charges because of his friendship with Gen Musharraf as the Sharifs disliked the retired general.

He said his father was arrested when FIA men entered his house in the presence of three female members and took him from his bedroom. He said, his father was not a Director of Privilege Farms, which had sold 803 kanals, nor was he a beneficiary of any amount.

He said the land deal was cancelled by Privilege Farms on June 12, 2010 and they were awaiting to return the NIC money. His father did not use a single rupee from this transaction. Any and all transfers made from his (Mohsin) joint account to date remained with banks as they stand frozen.

“Can anyone tell us why my father has been arrested? Can anyone ask a Federal Minister what my father did for his constituency?” and went on to enumerate that it was because of his father that the constituency of this minister received projects worth billions of rupees, gas was supplied to about 100 villages in the constituency and countless jobs were created.

Mohsin said his father was never blamed for any misappropriation. He said his family wanted justice and justice also to those who have arrested him and are responsible for all this.

He said he was out of Pakistan since June as his wife was in the family way and he never fled from his country. He sold 20 Kanals for 5 crore per Kanal, transferred land to NICL and it remains in the name of NICL in Revenue records. This plot is on the corner of a 200 feet wide commercial road linking Ferozpur Road and Raiwind Road. There are bank evaluations around the land for which banks have current standing loans for other people and our asking price was in the same range as well as there are current revenue reports for market price.

But he said NAB and FIA did not ask anyone about the price in the area and moreover the deal stood cancelled on June 12, 2010 when our family decided to get out of it following media speculations about this deal.

He said the deal was duly communicated and approved by the board of NICL. Privilege Farms, has duly executed the sales deed in favour of NICL as well as the possession and Privilege Farms has no obligations whatsoever in this connection any more.

He said, now the female family members were being named as beneficiaries to the amount and deals. “Can anyone tell us what are the amounts in these deposits, and if they were for household expenses or were proceeds of part of any deals,” he asked.

“We maintain our position as rightful sellers and ready to fight against any political victimization any FIRs even if it’s happening at a lower end and under someone’s instructions. We seek justice from Supreme Court and People of Pakistan, from Prime Minister and President of Pakistan,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the key player of this mega scam, chairman NIC Ayaz Khan Niazi is still absconding and could not be arrested so far despite being in Pakistan.

FIA Islamabad chapter was also said to be busy conducting raids in Islamabad after it was disclosed that the absconding chairman NIC Ayaz Khan Niazi who had played an important role in four dirty deals worth Rs4billion with certain parties was hiding in the capital at the residence of a top gun of the country.

An influential minister of Gilani cabinet who had brought Niazi from Dubai and had him appointed chairman NIC is said to be his patron in chief and had now provided him shelter and his resources.

Sources claimed FIA Islamabad chapter was not interested in capturing the accused as the absconding chairman had also the blessing of two scions of two Pakistani politicians – both the young men were alleged to have got their share from the plunder of NIC.

One source said, only lip-service was being paid in the name of raids in Islamabad, otherwise the FIA bosses had confirmed information as to where Ayaz Khan Niazi was hiding in the capital.

Meanwhile, the FIA Lahore has also arrested surveyors of the lands who had given wrong estimation about the cost of 803 kanals of land sold out by the Warriach family to NICL at Rs1.6 billion.

It was alleged that a kanal worth Rs200,000 was sold out at Rs2.2million per kanal. Likewise, 20 kanals of land in Lahore worth Rs400 million was sold out at Rs1.2 billion. Thus, the Warriach family alone got Rs3 billion from NICL in the name of these property sale deals.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2010.