ISLAMABAD, July 24: Major-Gen Shaukat Sultan, press secretary to President Pervez Musharraf, referring to a news item appearing in a section of the press regarding purchase of agricultural plot in Islamabad by the president has said the piece of agricultural land , C-1/B P&V Scheme-II Park Road, Tralai Kalan, Chak Shahzad, was purchased in the open market and the price was paid to the owner of the plot at the then market rates.

He said the president disposed of his plot in Defence Housing Authority (formerly LCCHS), Lahore, which had already been declared in his assets announced on November 1, 1999, and bought the agricultural land in Chak Shahzad.

Major-Gen Shaukat Sultan said no rules and regulations had been violated in the purchase of the land and President Musharraf had already declared his assets on a number of occasions, first time being when he assumed the office of chief executive.-APP