Musharraf used military lands as political bribe

ISLAMABAD: Top aides of senior leaders of a political party were allotted 1200 kanals in 2004 that had coincided with the party’s softening position on the uniform of then COAS-President Gen Pervez Musharraf. The allotment letters were issued from GHQ on the orders of President Musharraf.
A minister of another party had received prized land of Pakistan Navy’s martyrs and veterans for approving the conversion of land from agriculture to commercial. National Accountability Bureau had initiated probe only to shelve it later on.
KP had allocated 17578 acres in 2001 for the martyrs and retired soldiers that was distributed among three armed forces by Musharraf, then military ruler. Pakistan Army had received lion’s share. Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force were also allocated in accordance with their size.
As far as the land in KP was concerned, it was also acquired in the name of martyrs and veterans but used as political bribe. Close aides of seniors of the political party ruling in the province were allotted 1200 kanals in 2004 when the establishment was trying to win political support for Musharraf’s uniform.
Though the military land was transferred in the names of those who are either closely related to two senior leaders of the political party or are their relatives, the Revenue Department in DI Khan confirmed that both these leaders had at least 600 Kanals each in their personal possession, reported Ansar Abbasi, editor investigations of The News in 2008.
A senior member Board of Revenue in the KP government was also allotted 400 Kanals of the same land for his role in this highly controversial allotment from the land earmarked for soldiers, who are given this land for their services and in line with the policy derived by the GHQ.
The allotment letters, relating to 1200 Kanals, were issued by the Army’s General Headquarters Adjutant General (Welfare and Rehabilitation Directorate), Rawalpindi under the signatures of Lt-Col Muhammad Zafar on behalf of the adjutant general and countersigned by Brigadier DWR-I Zafar Iqbal Shah on Oct 23rd 2004 — a little over two months prior to the deadline set for Musharraf’s stepping down as Army chief.
While the land acquired in the name of Pakistan Army’s veterans and martyrs was allegedly used as a political bribe to the ruling party in the province to win support for a COAS-President, Pakistan Navy had doled out precious land worth a billion rupees to the near and dear ones of a revenue minister, chief of the provincial inspection team and other revenue officers.
The Navy first traded agriculture land with the commercial/residential tracts in and around Dera Ismail Khan and then allotted approximately one-third of this land (150 kanals) to the minister and revenue staff apparently for stamping approval on this unauthorised conversion of land as it was denied earlier.
NAB has been sitting over the case with fingers crossed saying that proceeding against the armed forces is beyond its jurisdiction. Pakistan Navy had not only acknowledged this shady land deal, it defended it and said ‘everything has been done according to law’.
The News had reported this in March 2013. A senior member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Ihsanullah Mehsud who acquired 50-kanal commercial land in DI Khan city from the Navy admitted being a beneficiary and said ‘it was his right.’ But he had said the allotment of 50 kanals made to the minister’s personal staff in the heart of DI Khan city is unlawful and the Navy should be held answerable for it.