State Aristocracy’s Pakistan – 10: PAC for abolishing doling out plots to bureaucrats and agricultural land to generals

ISLAMABAD: While giving “Plot Amnesty”  to those top bureaucrats and judges who got more than two plots in the past under the Prime Minister’s Special Incentive Package, the Public Accounts Committee has recommended abolishing the existing plot policy by suggesting to the government to cancel the summary for awarding plots to top bureaucrats under the Prime Minister’s Special Incentive package in future, abolishing all the special quotas, including of generals, judges, journalists except widows, martyrs and (disabled) persons and no more agricultural land allotments to the generals, judges and politicians except the families of martyrs.

Under the Prime Minister Special Incentive Package that was initiated during the tenure of a former prime minister, the top grade bureaucrats were given the plots on their promotion in grade 22.

The PAC met here Wednesday (December 19, 2012) with its Chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal in the chair. The meeting examined the plot policy, and following the briefing from the Ministry of Housing and Works as well from the representatives of the provincial government, the PAC chairman announced six-point recommendations to the government to end the distribution of plots among the influential and privileged class of the country that hold more than two plots. 

The PAC recommended the abolishment of all the special quotas for judges, generals, journalists except widows, martyrs and disabled persons. The PAC recommended the government for withdrawing the summary regarding Prime Minister’s Special Incentive Package and cancelling it. 

It recommended the government to end the practice of allotment of agriculture land to the generals, politicians and judges except the families of the martyrs. The PAC recommended the inquiry against all those who submit the affidavits including bureaucrats and judges for the allotment of the plots, and in future the inquiry should be made on the authenticity of the affidavit for the allotment of plots under the government schemes. 

The committee directed the abolishment of the plots given by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to the deputationists and directed that no depututionist will be liable to get the plots from the department of deputation in the future. 

The PAC directed the Ministry of Housing and Works to prepare the database of the plots allotted to the officers either by the federal government or provincial governments and place the list on its website. 

The committee recommended the government for abolishing the transfer of the plots of the bureaucrats, who were allocated the plots under the old-age policy in the D-8 or D-12 sector but transferred their plots in the posh sectors of the Islamabad.

Earlier, the PAC expressed its displeasure to the chief secretary Sindh and provincial secretary of Sindh for Housing for not presenting the list of the federal officers who got plots by the provincial government.

The PAC in its meeting last week directed the provincial governments to provide the list of the officers who got plots from the provincial governments also. During the meeting, Additional Provincial Secretary Sindh, who representing the Sindh, did not provide the details to the committee and even refused to give any time frame to provide the list. 

On the non-provision of the list of federal government officers who got plots in Sindh, the PAC summoned the chief secretary Sindh with the report within 10-days. The PAC also directed to convey its displeasure to the prime minister, chief minister Sindh and secretary Establishment Division over the attitude of the Sindh government for not compliance with the committee’s directives. 

Additional chief secretary Balochistan told the PAC that Balochistan government had given plots to 19 bureaucrats of the federal government and four judges through Quetta Development Authority.

Provincial Secretary Housing of Punjab sought a 10-day time from the PAC to furnish the list of the officers who got plots by the Punjab government. Additional chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa informed the PAC that the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not allot any plot to the federal government officers. The additional chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa further told the committee that the provincial government had abolished the quota of governor and chief minister for the allotments of the plots.

Link: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-19589-PAC-for-abolishing-existing-plot-policy  

[The News December 20, 2012]