Gen Sharif gets 90 acres agricultural land after retirement

Pakistan's former army chief General Raheel Sharif has been allotted around 90 acres of agricultural land in Lahore, triggering a debate about the logic behind the grant of land. Sharif, who retired from the post of the army chief in November, has been allotted 50 acres land in capacity of a four star General and remaining 40 acres for being the army chief in Bedian Road area, media reports said.

Citing a security establishment official, Dawn said there was nothing unusual about the allotment. "Over the last few years, the Bedian Road stretch, around where Gen Raheel’s land is located, has turned into a favourite haunt of the moneyed people looking for a privileged farm-house living away from the humdrum of the city. This has sent prices skyrocketing there," it said.

It is believed the entry of an ex-army chief like Gen Sharif, who had previously donated a plot meant for residential purposes to the army’s martyrs, will enhance the profile of the locality, the paper said. As per rules, such allotments to army officials are decided at the General Headquarters and conveyed to the Border Area Committee concerned, it added.

Gen Raheel Sharif was allotted the land "in accordance with the existing rules and purely on merit," the paper quoted the official as saying. "It is agricultural land and will be used for this purpose alone. It will not be used for commercial purpose as is the impression being created by some," the official said.

"Every army chief gets a similar volume of agricultural land on retirement," the official said, adding the land allotted to Sharif was located some 5km from Lahore's border. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that it is the Border Area Committee which secures the land in the radius of 5km of the border and it is allotted to the army martyrs and officials. "It is not the discretion of the Punjab government to allot this land to any one," he added.