PESHAWAR, Jan 9: Allotment of plots by the government to the armed forces, Awami National Party lawmakers and a private university on Monday overshadowed the proceedings of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Pakistan People's Party MPA Sanjeeda Yousuf drew the House's attention through an adjournment motion towards the 'occupation' of the state land on the bank of the Indus River in Dera Ismail Khan district.

She said the government had allotted a big plot on the river bank for holding funfairs but that had been occupied by some people in connivance with the revenue department officials. She demanded an early end to the occupation.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal member Nasira Batool confirmed the occupation of the said plot, where, she said, the Benazir Shaheed Public Park was to be developed under the plan.

Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain tried to hush up the matter up but when members wanted him to name land grabbers, he clarified that the said land was owned by the government and allotted to the armed forces in 2002. He further said a total of 17,000 kanals of land on the river bank had been allotted to the army, Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy.

He denied that the said land had been occupied and said the Indus River had eroded the site, where the navy was allotted plots and that the government later allotted 200 kanals of additional land reserved for the park to the armed forces.

The minister said details of the land given to the armed forces were on record.

During the question hour, treasury and opposition members raised the issue of allotment of residential plots to seven MPAs from Swat district with Awami National Party's Atifur Rehman seeking details of government plots given to the members at official rate.

According to the official statement, seven MPAs, including Dr Shamshir Ali Khan, Dr Haider Ali Khan, Waqar Khan, Sher Shah Khan, Jafar Shah, environment minister Wajid Ali Khan and science and technology minister Mohammad Ayub Khan Ashari, had been allotted plots each measuring one kanal at the posh Hayatabad Township in Peshawar.

Senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour said the killing of family members and destruction of houses by militants forced the said members into leaving Swat and therefore, plots were allotted to them.

He said MPA Dr Shamshir was killed in a suicide attack; Wajid Ali Khan's brother was killed; Ayub Ashari's two nephews were killed, and Waqar Khan's father and two brothers were killed and his house was also burnt.

Opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani and MPAs from treasury and opposition benches said they had no objection to allotment of plots to Swat MPAs but one thing was clear that other lawmakers, too, had lost family members to militancy.

According to Mr Durrani, father of Hangu MPA Atiqur Rehman was killed in a bomb attack and his house was also attacked. Similarly, ANP member from Peshawar Alam Zaib Khan died in blast, MMA member Mufti Said Janan's father was kidnapped, PPP lawmaker from Bannu Adnan Khan was targeted by militants and MPA from Shangla Pir Mohammad Khan was killed in a suicide attack. In this light, the government should admit sacrifices of other MPAs and properly compensate their families.

ANP MPA Atifur Rehman questioned the allotment of a 20-kanal plot to Iqra University in Hayatabad at 'throwaway' price. He and other members said the precious plot had been sold to the private university at low price without fulfilling formalities.

Mr Bilour said the Peshawar Development Authority had reclaimed the land of the water course passing through Hayatabad Township and then sold to the university's management at the rate of Rs800,000 per kanal. He said the site was not highlighted in the master plan of the township.

Later, religious affairs minister Nimroz Khan introduced 'The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Publication of the Holy Quran (elimination of printing and recording errors) Bill-2012 in the House.

Speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmatti read the order of the governor and prorogued the session.