KARACHI, Sept 26: The Sindh government has failed to implement President Musharraf's directive to distribute state-owned lands in Tharparkar district among those land less peasants who have been cultivating them for the past 28 years.
The president had issue the directive more than two years back but the same has still remained unimplemented.
The competent authority, it is learnt, has now taken notice of the non-compliance of the directives, subsequently endorsed by former prime ministers Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and asked the concerned departments to submit their reports in this regard and apprise it of the present status of implementation process.
The relevant authorities - additional chief secretaries and the concerned departments - have been asked to provide progress reports also. During his visit to the province in those days, it was brought to the knowledge of the president that the farmers had been cultivating the state land for almost three decades despite the constant threat of being dislodged by influential figures at any time. Due to their efforts, the lands remained fertile and produced much needed crops.
The president was convinced and directed the government to start the process of land grant. Later, the prime ministers also held out the assurance while addressing public meetings in the province that the president's directives in this regard would be implemented.
Sources believe that a member of the land utilization section of the Board of Revenue was assigned the task of working out modalities and procedures in this regard. However, no progress could be made in the following years.
It is also learnt that the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), which was supposed to be provided a plot in lieu of its temporary place of work, i.e. the Hindu Gymkhana Building, has also not been obliged as yet.
A directive to this effect had been issued by President Musharraf himself in the year 2002. Despite a lapse of two years, the government has failed in finding a suitable plot that could be allotted to the FPSC.
President Musharraf's yet another directive has remained unheeded for the past three years. This pertains to the sorting out of the problems in relation to the inter-departmental liabilities.
The president, while presiding over a meeting at the Governor's House in January 2001, had issued the directives to resolve the problems involving federal and the Sindh government departments 'on a priority basis'. The meeting was attended, among others, by governor and cabinet ministers of Sindh.