Islamabad, April 21 (IANS). The problem of Punjab in Pakistan has been in the headlines for the last few years. A large deposit of gold was found here and now mining work is going on. Meanwhile, the government has registered a case against those who own land i.e. land owners. The allegation is that these people are obstructing government work.
There was a huge uproar in the provincial assembly regarding this issue. The opposition is putting the government in the dock by raising the question of transparency.
According to local media, the controversy started when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leader and MPA from Attock Qazi Ahmed Akbar moved an adjournment motion in the assembly, seeking detailed information about gold revenues. He also expressed concern over cases being registered against land owners instead of giving them their due (royalty).
Speaking to Pakistan’s leading daily ‘Dawn’, Qazi said landowners were being implicated in lawsuits on charges of “obstructing government work” when instead they should have been ensuring that mine lessees paid them royalties.
In response, Punjab Mines and Minerals Minister Sher Ali Gorchani said that the properties of the province belong to the people there and the government will present before the country the ground reality related to the discovery, despite Qazi’s claims to the contrary.
The minister hit back at the opposition, saying the Punjab government will not allow the kind of “looting” that was seen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to happen in Punjab. He claimed that strict steps were being taken in this regard under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and also accused the opposition and the KP government of corruption.
As the heated exchange between the two sides escalated, the atmosphere in the House became tense, especially when opposition member Mian Asif Ali Bagga sarcastically said that “except Maryam Nawaz, no one else is allowed to steal.”
Deputy Secretary Zaheer Iqbal Channar informed the House that the Mines and Minerals Department has already generated billions of rupees of revenue for the provincial government.
–IANS
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