Islamabad:
The Senate Maritime Affairs Committee reviewed critical issues related to the management of maritime assets, particularly 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 later expressed his gratitude for the rapid action taken by the committee, stating: “If we had not intervened and exposed corruption, the country would have lost RS60 billion. Our collective action said that fraudulent sale would be canceled within 72 hours after our recommendations. ”
According to a press release, the Committee deepened in the sale of 500 acres of land in Port Qasim, which was sold for a single 2 percent advance, for a value of its real value, estimated at RS60 billion.
The senator questioned the legitimacy of the transaction, stating: “only 2 percent was taken after selling land worth RS60 billion. If the transaction was legitimate, why was it invested within 72 hours?
The land was originally assigned for industrial use in 2006, and the committee heard from officials that an extrajudicial agreement had been followed in this matter.
However, Vawda raised doubts, questioning why the land was sold for only 10 percent of its real value and why the Board did not take action before. “Who authorized the Board of Port Qasim to sell land worth RS60 billion for only RS5 billion? This goes beyond its reach and authority, ”he said.
In his comments, the senator described three options to deal with such cases of poor management and corruption, “surrender, admit corruption or fight against it.” He emphasized the importance of holding those responsible for financial loss for the country.
Senator Danish Kumar expressed concerns about the lack of a permanent president in the ports of Karachi and Gwadar, emphasizing the need for stable leadership in the maritime sector.
Vawda agreed to affirm that if the interim presidency continues, then the permanent president must be eliminated. “The importance of adequate leadership cannot be exaggerated.”
The committee also questioned the role of the Port Qasim Board in the controversial sale of land. Port Qasim officials affirmed that the matter was properly handled and that the Board had not done anything illegal.
However, Senator Vawda challenged this statement, saying: “Port Qasim not only sold the land maliciously but also changed the location of the Balkhnum Razi project.”
He pointed out that the land was sold at an extraordinarily low price, noting that a foreign company, which was not truly foreign but local and had a questionable history, “was involved in the agreement.
The Committee was also informed about the current state of Port Qasim land holdings. Port Qasim has approximately 14,000 acres of land, with 9,574 leased acres. In addition, the authority bought 1,000 acres of land and expects possession of 1,250 acres of the Sindh government.
The Committee pointed out the importance of prioritizing exports in the ports, which remains a key issue for the maritime sector of Pakistan. Vawda requested the inclusion of technocrats and private sector entrepreneurs at the Port Management Board to guarantee efficiency and transparency.
In line with the findings of the meeting, the senator proposed several recommendations for immediate action. These included freezing pending payments in land acquisition agreements in Port Qasim, KPT, Gwadar Port and the PNSC until new investigations are completed.
The Committee also recommended an exhaustive examination of the Shawn refining project, with the cancellation potential if criminal negligence is found.
The Committee issued instructions that all lease contracts that were issued from 2018 to 2024 to any company freeze. The Committee also ordered that the details of all the agreements outside the Court made during the governments of the PTI, the PDM and the PML-N were provided to the Committee. All lease contracts of which payments have not been made are canceled.
The next meeting will discuss the appointments in important maritime departments and monitoring unresolved issues related to the sale of lands of Port Qasim and other maritime issues.
The meeting was attended by Senators Danish Kumar, Nasema Ehsan, Rubina Qaim Khani, Husna Bano, Nadeem Bhutto and other senior officials, including the presidents of the relevant departments.
With application entrance
