KARACHI, Sept 29: The Pakistan Air Force forcibly occupied the Civil Aviation Authority’s precious land in the heart of Lahore on the false pretext of “national security” and “for establishment of radar” and later converted it into a residential society selling the plots to its members, it emerged on Sunday.

The Auditor General of Pakistan stated that the PAF’s forcible occupation of the CAA land caused a loss of approximately two billion rupees to the country’s aviation regulatory organisation when the open market price of the land was many times more.

In its report for the year 2012-2013 relating to the encroachments on CAA lands, the AGP said that during the audit it was found that the General Manager of the Walton Airport in Lahore could not get the CAA land vacated at the airport.

The land measuring 19.21 acres was forcibly occupied by the PAF in 2006 – 2007 on the pretext of national security and establishing radar.

This resulted in unjustified and unauthorised occupation of CAA land that was valued over 1.921 billion rupees. However, the PAF sold the same piece of land, to members of Pak Falcon Society.

The audit report observed that “the state land was occupied on false pretext” and that “state land was converted in to a private housing society and plots were sold to its members.”

According to the AGP’s report the PAF matter was communicated to CAA last year in August. The CAA replied saying that there were several other pending issues between CAA and PAF that were being dealt with between the two organisations.

The matter was also discussed in the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) meeting held on December 17 – 18, 2012 where the committee referred the irregularity to the Public Accounts Committee.

The DAC also directed the CAA to provide the original file of land allotment to PAF for establishment of radar to the audit.

The AGP stated that the compliance of the audit directives was not reported till the finalisation of the 2012-2013 report.

Moreover, the report said that the CAA Board in its 139th meeting held on Nov 2, 2011 expressed displeasure over encroachments on CAA lands and directed that old encroachments on all airports be identified and the airport manager or officer concerned, who have failed to safeguard the CAA land from encroachments, be penalised.