Islamabad:
The senatorial committee on maritime affairs examined Tuesday critical issues related to the management of maritime assets, in particular the controversial sale of 500 acres of land in Port Qasim. The committee, chaired by Senator Faisal Vawda, then ordered the cancellation of the sale.
Vawda then expressed its gratitude for the rapid measures taken by the Committee, declaring: “If we had not been intervened and exposed corruption, the country would have lost 60 billion rupees. Our collective action assured that the fraudulent sale had been canceled within 72 hours of our recommendations.”
According to a press release, the committee plunged into the sale of 500 acres of land in Port Qasim, which was sold for an advance of 2%, which represents a fraction of its real value, estimated at 60 billion rupees.
The senator questioned the legitimacy of the transaction, declaring: “Only 2% were taken after having sold land of a value of 60 billion rupees. If the transaction was legitimate, why was it reversed within 72 hours?”
The land was initially allocated to industrial use in 2006, and the Committee heard that an outside regulations had been prosecuted in this case.
However, Vawda raised doubts, wondering why the land was sold for only 10% of its real value and why the board of directors did not act earlier. “Who authorized the board of directors of Port Qasim to sell land worth 60 billion rupees for only 5 billion rupees? This goes beyond their scope and their authority,” he noted.
In his remarks, the senator described three options to deal with such cases of mismanagement and corruption, “go, admit corruption or fight against her”. He stressed the importance of holding responsible for financial loss responsible for the country.
Senator Dash Kumar has raised concerns about the absence of a permanent president in the ports of Karachi and Gwadar, stressing the need for stable leadership in the maritime sector.
