KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed have reaffirmed their commitment to a “collaborative drive against fraud of state land in Sindh”.
The meeting between the two authorities, held at the CM House on Wednesday, was attended by a top-level delegation from both sides. The Sindh government’s side included Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, advocate general, principal secretary to CM Agha Wasif, Senior Member, Board of Revenue (SMBR) Khalid Hyder Shah, Chairman CM Inspection Bilal Memon, and Chairman Anti-Corruption Zulfiqar Shah. The NAB team comprised DG Operations (NAB HQ) Amjad Majeed Aulakh, DG NAB (Karachi) Shakeel Ahmed Durrani, Director Land (NAB Karachi) Syed Muhammad Aafaq, and Director Land Directorate (NAB HQ) Lt Col (retd) Hamza Mumtaz. The meeting served as a formal platform for NAB to hand over properties recovered from across the province back to the Sindh government.
The NAB chairman presented a detailed progress report on the recovery of state land, revealing that NAB was currently handling 188 cases (154 inquiries and 34 investigations) involving an estimated 461,488 acres of land. Recoveries highlighted during the meeting included Karachi Urban Evacuee Land measuring 635 acres at seabed Clifton Block I & II: 350 acres of reclaimed land. Forest Land (Sujawal and Thatta): 400,000 acres. Deh Babar Bund and Hathal Buth (Jamshoro): approximately 1,040 acres recovered after the cancellation of 83 fake revenue entries. NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed lauded the Sindh government, particularly the chief secretary, for their unwavering support. “The success of these recoveries is a testament to the collaborative spirit between NAB and the provincial administration,” he stated. He specifically praised the Board of Revenue for its role in identifying and cancelling illegal allotments.
CM Shah expressed his gratitude to NAB for its professional efforts in safeguarding public assets. “The restoration of land worth trillions is a major milestone for the people of Sindh,” he said emphasizing that the recovered land would be utilised for public interest projects, including parks and recreation centres. The meeting concluded with a roadmap for the future, including the notification of a task force headed by the SMBR. This task force will comprise senior officers from the Board of Revenue, CM Secretariat and NAB to hold fortnightly meetings and ensure the rapid disposal of restored state assets. CM Shah also directed for expediting approval of summaries related to forest and mangrove land to prevent future encroachments.
