Pakistan : Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) rejects allegations of selling Gurdwara land

By Gopinath Kumar (PHP from USA)
Wednesday, June 09,2010

 (PHOTO : 2010 Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Syed Asif Hashmi and members of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and other officials warmly received yatrees at the Wagha Railway Station)

ISLAMABAD : The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has clarified that neither land of any Gurdwara was given for the development nor it was sold but alleged that Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti has started to blackmail the trust by adopting negative tactics for earning illegal money.

According to sources, the Ministry for Minority Affairs launched a campaign, based on prejudice, for the last one year against ETPB Chairman, Syed Asif Hashmi over not getting incentives.

Sources said that the Federal Minister and Joint Secretary also started a campaign to defaming Pakistan by conveying baseless news to India and these news including the selling of Mandir and Gurdwara.

Shahbaz Bhatti started the opposition against Asif Hashmi when the later, refused to purchase a guest house in Rs. 170 million, which actually had the price of Rs. 100 million. The Federal Minister, later, expressed his desire to buy two new Land Cruisers but Syed Asif Hashmi refused to accept it by terming it lavishness.

On these two reasons, Shahbaz Bhatti started the opposition against Asif Hashmi and even damaged Pakistan’s interests.

The budget of fiscal year 2009-10, which was approved by the Evacuee Trust Property Board in the presence of a Secretary also stopped. It is noted that the Auditor General Report which was presented before public accounts committee (PAC) did not raise any objection against the Board reflects that Syed Asif Hashmi was running matters in a transparent manner and was appreciated by PAC.

According to sources, the board several times clarified that under rule 138 of Act 1925, the land of Gurdwara cannot be given to anyone for the development and it also cannot be sold but baseless allegations continued and the President and the Prime Minister should take action.