If PM Imran Khan is serious about cracking down on criminal black economy, confiscating unnamed properties and widening tax net to meet their announced revenue collection targets, he must understand that given rampant corruption within few top elites in FBR, Police, Customs, Land Revenue, FIA and District Management cadre etc this would be nothing more than a Utopian dream.
Just cracking down on politicians alone will not achieve ambitious targets set by PTI. All that PM has to do is order thorough investigation into assets and properties of retired civil bureaucrats and their frequent foreign travels and expensive properties they, or their family, own in UAE, Canada, USA, UK, etc.
A retired former Assistant Income Tax Commissioner who sought early retirement, a session judge, a Patwari, SHO etc. all from humble backgrounds own residential and commercial property worth billions in Lahore and Karachi. Unless FBR is cleansed and revamped, mere legislation or desire of our PM will not achieve any results. The level of corruption within our police top brass exposes the extent of criminal activities they patronize. Similar is the situation with Land Revenue, Forest and Food departments in Sindh, Punjab, KPK, etc. How else could thousands of acres of Forest Land be illegally occupied, its trees sold without anybody’s notice.
These recent judgments regularizing these irregularities under the garb of Third Party Interest is just another version of Law of Necessity. The judiciary could have protected Third Party interest without benefitting powerful land mafia dons of this country. The previously revoked illegal contract of Royal Palm Golf and Country Club in Lahore by appointing an administrator did not affect the legitimate use of club by members.
M. T. ALI,
Lahore.
