April 09, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 2, 1429

DADU, April 8: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) here on Tuesday initiated investigation against local PML-Q leaders for occupying thousands of acres of lands in Sona Bindi, Katcho Magsi and Kamal Dero forests.

A team of senior officers of forest department visited different parts of occupied forest lands in the district to personally look into the matter and persuaded the land grabbers to vacate the occupied land.

The inquiry was launched in the aftermath of the divisional forest officer’s report submitted to the NAB and other high officials of the forest department accusing the district nazim of Dadu, former PML-Q MPA and their relatives of occupying forest land.

The Director-General of NAB Sindh, Maj-Gen Mukhtiar Ahmed, through a letter had directed the forest and police departments to vacate all illegally occupied lands and asked the revenue department officials to cancel all illegal allotments and also enter the forest department’s property in the revenue record.

The DFO Dadu, Altaf Hussain Khokhar, following NAB directives had submitted a report to the Director- General of NAB Sindh and the secretary forest department against district nazim Dadu, Karim Ali Jatoi, son of former federal minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi, former PML-Q MPA Sadaqat Ali Jatoi and their relative Zahid Hussain, for occupying hundreds of acres of forest land in the district.

According to DFO’s report, District Nazim Karim Ali Jatoi had occupied 3,000 acres of land in Kamal Dero forest, Sadaqat Ali Jatoi, 286 acres in Sona Bindi and Zahid Hussain 800 acres land in Sona Bindi forests.

He further stated in the report that he had vacated over 1,065 acres of land of the department from other influential people.

The report said that status of the forest land record was changed by the revenue officials and shown as revenue land in Sona Bindi forest which was under the occupation of influential people.

Altaf Hussain Khokhar told Dawn that he had compiled a detailed report about illegal occupation of forest land in Dadu and sent it to NAB and high officials of the department.

He disclosed that some politicians and revenue officials were involved in this dirty business.

However, chief conservator of forests Hyderabad, Najamuddin Vistro, conservator of forest department Larkana, Manzoor Ali Sangi and divisional forest officer Dadu, Altaf Hussain Khokhar visited occupied parts of forest land of Sona Bindi, Kamal Dero and Katcha Magsi.

The range forest officer, Radhan Mohakamuddin Agro, lodged two FIRs with Bhand Mari police under section 26 Forest Act against Abdul Rehman Mangi, Saleem Raza Chandio, Parvez and Mashooq Chandio, Rais Zafar and Koro Chandio, for occupying 100 acres of land in Sona Bindi forest.

The District Nazim Dadu, Karim Ali Jatoi said that he had not occupied forest land in any part of Dadu district. He said that his family members owned these forest land for years.

Conservative officer forest department, Manzoor Sangi, told Dawn that 33,000 acres of occupied land was vacated across Sindh. He said that remaining 20,000 acres of land would also be vacated. He said that a report had been sent to NAB against political, influential persons who had occupied thousands of acres of land in forests of Dadu.

He said soon an operation would be launched in the district. He said that provincial minister Pir Mazharul Haq had assured him of support in clearance of occupied land in the district.

He said that some people had approached courts and forest department was pursuing cases in courts also.