May 11, 2007	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 23, 1428

RAWALPINDI, May 10: A government land adjacent to a shrine near Harley Street has once again been leased out to an influential person for establishing a CNG station on it without open biding.

Sources said the one kanal and six marla land owned by the auqaf department near the shrine of Pir Gohar Shah on Harley Street in Rawalpindi had been given to Mohammad Murid, a resident of Talagang in Chakwal district, on a lease of Rs2,215,000 and monthly rent of Rs5,500.

The sources said the new lessee had to pay the goodwill money in three instalments.

The order to lease out the land for the establishment of a CNG station was issued on May 7 by the office of the chief administrator, Auqaf, Lahore.

If executed the lease agreement would displace a schoolteacher who has been living on the land as a tenant of the Auqaf department and affect some part of a graveyard.

The sources said three months ago the same land was leased out to Mr Murid’s son, Talha Zubair and Hasan Ali Qasim, son of Syed Qasim Shah, a former federal minister.

The decision was cancelled by the Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi after it was reported in a section of the press.

The area people expressed resentment over the idea of setting up a CNG station terming it an effort to gradually encroach on the land of the shrine for commercial purposes.

It may be mentioned that many such cases involving lease of shrine lands by the Auqaf department in the Punjab have recently been reported in the press.

The Lahore High Court on May 8 censured the department for giving on lease some land of the shrine of Noor Shah in Sheikhupura for the establishment of a CNG station.

The Auqaf administrator Rawalpindi could not be contacted for his comments and manager Auqaf refused to comment on the lessee orders.