Journalists announce to challenge controversial plots’ allotment list

ISLAMABAD: A large number of aggrieved journalists have announced to challenge on all forums a controversial list of allotment of plots for journalists in violation of merit and rules.  

A meeting of hundreds of journalists affected by the controversial list of allotments in the Bhara Kahu Housing Scheme on a quota allocated for journalists by the Ministry of Information and the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) was held at the National Press Club.

After various suggestions came up in the meeting, it was agreed that the case would be fought on all forums, including the superior courts, against the illegal allotments in the government housing schemes in Bhara Kahu and sectors F-14 and 15.

A resolution was unanimously approved in the meeting, according to which the journalists demanded from the officials of the Ministry of Information and the Federal Housing Authority that the allotments approved in Bhara Kahu Phase-I, Phase-II, sector F-14 and F-15 for the journalists were in violation of the rules.

They said that the seniority of age, experience, and date of application was not taken into account. They said that the interim minister of information was also allotted a plot in violation of the rules, which is alarming. Therefore, they said, cases will be filed in the courts to restore the predetermined merit list.

The resolution said that senior journalists have been ignored in the scheme as well and an incomplete list had come to the fore and a complete list should be provided.

The resolution rejected the controversial list demanded of the Ministry of Information and the Federal Housing Authority to issue an immediate notification to cancel the issued list of Bhara Kahu Phase-I and Phase-II and sectors F-14 and F-15.

The resolution said that the members of the scrutiny committee set up by the Ministry of Information also admitted that they were provided with an incomplete list by the Ministry of Information for scrutiny, and the Ministry of Information did not post this list on its official website for objections.

The participants of the meeting expressed no-confidence in the scrutiny committee and demanded the formation of a new scrutiny committee, which should also have representatives of the affected journalists.

The resolution demanded from the government that the documents submitted by the applicants in Bhara Kahu’s both phases as well as other proposed schemes should be examined.

It said that affidavits and service records collected should be investigated, and the registration of those who submitted fake documents should be canceled.

The resolution said that the names of the journalists who have already benefited from the government schemes should be excluded from the latest list, and the non-plot holder journalists should be determined on the basis of ”age and experience” by the new scrutiny committee for the existing and proposed schemes, and the list should be posted on the government website for objections.

A coordination committee was also formed, which included the members of the National Press Club Saeed Ahmed, Syed Shiraz Gardizi, Khawaja Kashif Mir, Syed Khalid Gardizi, Nabi Beg Yousaf, Qaiser Mirza, Rubina, Farhat Fatima, Ishtiaq Bukhari, Rana Mushtaq, Javed Malik, Muhammad Hanif Lodhi, Nawabzada Khurshid, Saeed-ur-Rehman and others.

The coordination committee will review all aspects of the case legally and consult with lawyers and other stakeholders and contact the government officials and other stakeholders for the establishment of merit and the attainment of rights, including recourse to the court.

In the meeting, National Press Club former president Shakeel Quarar expressed solidarity with all the affected journalists and announced to stand with them on every forum and the attainment of rights.

RIUJ Abid Abbasi President said that merit was not taken into account during the distribution of plots. He announced his full support to the affected journalists.

Former NPC secretary finance Ishaq Chaudhry, Sardar Abdul Hamid, Ali Akhtar, Manzoor Dar, Sardar Nadeem Siddique, Sajjad Awan, Raja Usman Tahir, Naeem-ul-Asad, along with the members of the National Press Club expressed demanded the cancellation of the issued list and vowed to support the affected journalists on all forums.