Hoti intervenes as ministers squabble over plot

Bashir Bilour and Sher Azam Khan Wazir lay claim on a commercial plot in Bannu.

PESHAWAR: A clash between two provincial ministers over a commercial plot  has forced Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to order his inspection commission to hold an inquiry.

Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, who allegedly allotted the plot to one of his “front-men” in Bannu district allegedly in violation of rules and procedure, told The Express Tribune that the matter has been referred to the commission.

Provincial Minister for Labour Sher Azam Khan Wazir, who exposed Bilour for the wrongdoing, said that he would wait for the commission’s findings before taking the matter to court or any other forum.

The tussle between the two ministers over the allotment of a big commercial plot worth millions of rupees started last month when Wazir, belonging to the PPP, in a press statement accused ANP’s minister Bashir Bilour of misusing his official authority.

Wazir virtually launched a propaganda campaign against Bilour, who holds the Local Government and Rural Development portfolios in the K-P government. He alleged that the commercial plot, which was being used as a vegetable market, was allotted to Zahoor Khan and Fahim Khan, both front-men of a former provincial minister and an ANP leader Baz Muhammad Khan. Baz Muhammad himself is the front man of Bilour, Wazir alleged.

The labour minister said that in this case the plot was allotted in a clandestine manner. The two deposited only a few thousand rupees for the land worth over Rs40 million.

In a harsh-worded written statement Wazir claimed that Baz Muhammad, the actual beneficiary, was demanding Rs70 million for the plot from another party.

Bilour, otherwise outspoken, kept his silence regarding the serious accusations by his cabinet colleague.

When contacted by The  Express Tribune, Bilour did not defend himself. However, he said he was happy that the matter had been referred to the commission. When questioned as to why he was happy about this, Bilour remarked rather candidly, “Because it would have been a great problem for me and Baz Muhammad had Wazir gone to court.”

“Ultimately the plot is still ours, if the matter goes to court it will be left hanging for years,” Bilour said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2010.