LAHORE: Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal says indiscriminate action is being taken against illegal housing societies across Punjab.

Flanked by some provincial ministers, Mr Iqbal told a news conference that former senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan had built grave of his father on 2.5 kanal reserve LDA land in the Riverage Society.

In the EOBI scandal, he said, Aleem Khan colluded with its chairman in cheating investors. .

The senior minister said Aleem Khan built the Park View Housing Society near the Lahore Airport, which had now been included in the DHA. In this colony too, he said, Aleem Khan sold extra plots and collected billions of rupees by selling files to people.

Park View admin rejects charges

He alleged that the former minister occupied land of a school on Burki Road as well as added official road of Shahpur Kanjran to his colony.

Mr Iqbal alleged that 2.5 kanal land allocated for parking was included in the society where he also built his office.

He alleged that 13 kanals and 15 marla land allocated for graveyard was also converted into commercial plots and sold out. He said Aleem Khan also grabbed some people’s land and built a mosque named after his father.

The senior minister also alleged that Aleem Khan along with EOBI chairman scammed Rs34 billion. “Another terrible scandal of Aleem Khan is that he has no vehicle, no office, and no farmhouse that is not pledged by the bank. This person took Rs25 billion from the banks by mortgaging the land,” he claimed and requested the Governor State Bank to take notice of the matter.

He requested the Supreme Court to hear and decide the case of EOBI immediately so that the orphans, widows, poor and laborers could get back the stolen money. He said the Supreme Court should also hear the case of LDA vs Riverage Housing Society.

Meanwhile, Park View City, Lahore, chief executive Shoaib Siddiqui said all the allegations leveled by Aslam Iqbal were baseless. As per the factual position, he said, the Supreme Court had restored the NOC of Park View City while Lahore High Court had already stopped all the agencies concerned from taking any action against this society.

In his rebuttal, Mr Siddiqui highlighted that all the construction work including commercial area, mosques, graveyard and school had been completed in this society as per the specifications and now it was up to Aslam Iqbal when he would like to come there as per his own challenge.

Mr Siddiqui also released an FIR to media asking Aslam Iqbal to explain why a case was registered against him under 302/324 and148/149 PPC.

Similarly, this minister should also clarify the issue that when he would be applying for regularization of his “casinos”.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2022