TOBA TEK SINGH, Nov 16: An opposition trio and the PML-F have charged provincial forest minister Dr Ashfaqur Rehman and his uncle Chaudhry Majeed Kahloon, who is the market committee administrator, of illegally getting allotment of prime land worth millions of rupees.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, local leaders — PPP secretary-general Chaudhry Saeed Akhtar, PML-N president Chaudhry Amjad Ali Javed, Jamaat-i-Islami ameer Dr Zahid Sattar, and PML-F president Peerzada Mansoor Javed and women wing president Mrs Sanam Sherazi alleged that the minister had showed himself as a ‘houseless’ and got allotted various plots in his name here and at Chak 327-GB (outside Shorkot Cantonment).

Besides, they alleged, the minister’s uncle Majeed Kahloon too had shown himself as a ‘houseless’ and got recommendations from the DDO (revenue) and other officials concerned for the allotment of a four-kanal land at Rs3.5 million per acre in Yousaf Town on Jhang Road. The actual market price of the land was at least Rs40 million per acre, they said.

They further alleged that DDO (Revenue) Aftab Thaheem had tampered with the revenue department record to oblige the minister and got enlisted the names of his uncle and other relatives in the allotment list of state land of Chaks 325-JB and 319-JB.

The DDO, they said, also allotted land to the minister and Tahir Majeed, a US-based son of Majeed Kahloon, and allotted a local contractor Ghulam Murtaza Shah and his relatives a piece of land worth millions of rupees on Jhang Road.

According to the politicians, Aftab Thaheem had been enjoying four offices simultaneously — assistant registrar (colonies), in-charge judicial lock-up, personal staff officer to the district nazim besides the DDO.

They demanded that the Supreme court and Lahore High Court chief justices should take suo moto notice of the irregularities and suspend the DDO (revenue) who issued wrong recommendation letters in favour of the minister’s uncle to sell him precious urban land at throwaway price and unlawfully allotted plots to the minister and his other relatives.

When contacted, the DDO said he would not say anything about the allegations right now. The minister could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.