LHC adjourns petition filed against sale of embassy land

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

LAHORE (February 08, 2011) : Chief Justice Lahore High Court Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry here Monday adjourned for second week of March the hearing in a petition filed against sale of the embassy land in Japan and Indonesia at throw away prices in 2002 by the then ambassadors of Pakistan by taking kickbacks in the sale deal.

The court has already issued notice through Attorney General of Pakistan to Ambassador of Pakistan to Indonesia, and Japan and six other respondents involved in the embassy land scam. Petitioner Dr Qaisar Rasshi through his counsel Sajjid Ashraf challenged the sale of high cost embassy land in the countries allegedly on the 'directions' of the then chief executive of General Pervez Musharraf.

The petitioner said the then ambassador to Jakarata, Indonesia Major General Mustafa Anwar Hussain(Retd) misused his authority as envoy to sell the building of the embassy of Pakistan and residence of ambassador on February 18 2002. Referring to a report of Ministry of Foreign Affairs published in a local newspaper, the petitioner said the sold property was gifted by Indonesian president Soekarno to Pakistan but it was sold under a directive issued by the then chief executive General Pervez Musharraf in the year 2000.

The petitioner said Ministry of Foreign Affairs had opposed the sale but he, in connivance with the then president chief executive Musharraf sold the land and its deal was concluded by a company belonging to ambassador's Indonesian wife. Similarly, the property of embassy of Pakistan in Japan, including embassy building and residence of ambassador was sold through the then secretary of embassy of Pakistan in Tokyo Japan Asghar Ali Golo who is now director of Ministry of foreign affairs, the petitioner said.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan valued the Moto AZabu area as one of the highest per squire meter price land in Tokyo. However the same land was sold at cheap rates for financial kickbacks on the pretext that embassy will be shifted from the place to some other point in Japan. Then new land was purchased for constructing buildings for the embassy for gaining fresh kickbacks in the new deal, the petitioner said.

The petitioner prayed to the court to direct the federal government and the ministry of foreign affair to cancel the sale deal and get the costly lands back in the foreign countries and also recover embezzled money from the ambassadors involved in the land sale scam.