Source: The News

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is fast throwing away the public parks to influential people for commercial ventures, depriving the children of lower middle class from recreational activities, and that too in bypassing rules.

The latest blunder in this regard is of the handing the F-6 Markaz Park over to an influential but equally controversial Tennis Coach, Ali Akbar Khan, without seeking formal approval from the CDA Board.

The CDA chairman would not only put a brave face on to defend these ventures that are in violation of the Article 26 of the Constitution which prohibits discrimination in respect of access to public places, but also said he was getting sick for being questioned on this issue. “I am so pitched of number of questions on this. Please go ahead, pull it down, smash it down, run it down,” Lashari said in ‘preamble’ when contacted for comments.

The F-6 Markaz Park has been converted into Multi Sport Complex and put on the disposal of a bidder, Ali Akbar Khan, at a time when there no final decision has been taken by the CDA board, a fact that has also been endorsed by Khan.

“I have taken this Complex over,” he told The News. Asked if he won over the bid he said: “Nothing has yet been decided (who will win over the bid); we are still negotiating; we have given presentation”. He said the CDA was executing bidding process according to rules, but he did not explain as to how he overtook the complex without final decision.

Lashari, however, termed Khan’s claim as a result of what he said communication gap. “I do not think so. There may be communication gap,” Lashari said when was told about Khan’s claim that he was still not granted lease, and it was under process. The CDA chairman could not make a proper reply when asked that for how much duration the lease has been granted if he was correct in his version. “It may be for five years or so,” he said and added that he could not exactly recall the exact duration though he was contacted twice on this issue.

Lashari was, however, quite upset on media’s criticism on such commercial ventures but could not make proper reply when asked that whether these ventures were not at the cost of depriving the poor children of public places.

He rather lamented that his good work was not being appreciated. His earlier plan of turning a park in F-7 into mini golf club through yet another buddy, Shah Sharabil, also came under severe criticism that prompted Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry-led Supreme Court to take a suo motto action against this and directing the halt of construction. Lashari is in serious disagreement with the wisdom applied by the judiciary through the suo motto action.

“Have you visited this place now? You will find dirty kids of slum dwellers creating mess there,” he said implying as if he does not consider these children of downtrodden class as the equal citizens of the country. Besides, the Multi Sports Complex, there is another club called Margalla Tennis Club that was privately built up by a tennis lover, Aitzaz Azeem. A report has it that it is now being looked after by his family and largely used by diplomats, but the CDA claims nothing from the profit generated from this public land.

As far as the occupant of Multi Sports Complex, Ali Akbar Khan, is concerned, he was previously sacked from the slot of Pakistan Tennis Federation Secretary on charges of what a letter said, ‘misconduct’. Nowadays, he writes in an English daily and sings praise for Lashari, to say the least about the possible reason behind his taking over the complex far before winning over the bid.

“To say that Kamran Lashari has left his imprint on Islamabad during his tenure here would be an understatement. A tall, rangy former swimming champion with the persona of a Dodge City lawman, he is, among other things, acutely sensible to the recreational and artistic needs of the capital’s citizens” is how Khan took a start in his writing piece appeared in a daily, shortly after he occupied the complex. In preceding paragraph, though he did not forget counting services of Lashari for Islamabad, he marketed the Complex he had occupied, also putting on email address there.

Khan is younger brother of Lt-Gen (r) Kamal Akbar and is first cousin of Lt-Gen (r) Zahid Ali Akbar, who has flown abroad to get escape from accountability guys.

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Tags: CDA, Iftikhar Chaudhry, Islamabad, lashari, shah sharabil