NewsSaturday, May 26, 2007
Officials not allotted farm land according to rank: ISPRStaff Report
RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday contradicted contents of two research reports titled ‘Pakistan Military’s Land Acquisition Mired in Colonial Practice and Military-Run Welfare Outfits Dependent on State Bailouts’ and ‘Unbelievable Tales of Milbus’, appeared in a section of press the other day.
An ISPR statement dubbed the research reports an ‘amalgamation of allegations and distortion (of facts)’. “Credibility of contents of the reports can be ascertained by the fact that the land, required for operations, is governed by clearly defined rules and regulations and is not in possession of the Armed Forces. Land in use for operational purposes cannot be used for dairy farms or commercial activity, nor can it be set aside for private use,” it said.
It said army officers were not allotted agricultural land according to their ranks and that military-run welfare outfits were functioning efficiently, generating economic activity and jobs besides providing education, healthcare, vocational and technical training to many.
It said the author of a report had admitted that she had ‘very little’ information on Bahria and Shaheen foundations so her findings were prone to ‘gross inaccuracies’.
It said Unbelievable Tales of Milbus was an ‘imaginative’ report which had a variety of subjects. It said the statements issued by the Foreign Office, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo and the UN secretary-general had already countered the contents of this report. “The issue is being sensationalized for no reason and in an effort to undermine the image of the military,” it said.
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk