ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) land lease scandal, following allegations raised by Senator Faisal Vawda during a Senate standing committee meeting.
Key Points of the Inquiry:
- The Chairman of the PM Inspection Committee will lead the investigation, with IB and FIA directors as members.
- The committee will examine irregularities in the leasing process, including whether the PQA reassessed land values and considered current market rates before finalizing agreements.
- A major focus will be on legal strategy and governance failures that allowed lease cancellations to remain under stay orders for 12 years.
- The committee will also review why an out-of-court settlement was pursued and why it wasn’t withdrawn when the litigant declined it.
Allegations & Controversy
- Faisal Vawda alleged that on July 9, 2024, 500 acres of PQA land were leased for only 2% advance payment, despite an estimated Rs60 billion market value.
- The deal was canceled within 72 hours after lawmakers uncovered significant irregularities during a committee meeting.
- Vawda accused the PQA board of overstepping legal authority, questioning why the sale was reversed so quickly if it was legitimate.
- He also recommended freezing all pending land acquisitions at Port Qasim, Karachi Port Trust, Gwadar Port, and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) until further investigations are concluded.
The committee has two weeks to submit its findings to the prime minister, with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs providing secretarial support.
Government & ICT Developments
In a separate meeting, PM Shehbaz Sharif reviewed a Huawei-led ICT training initiative aimed at training 300,000 Pakistani youth in AI, Cybersecurity, and Cloud Computing.
- The PM emphasized that IT training will boost exports and create job opportunities.
- The ICT Training Portal will be officially launched soon, ensuring access to students, trainers, and professionals across all provinces, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Senior government officials and Huawei representatives attended the meeting to assess progress on agreements signed in China last year.
