Special Report by J. Choudhry, Editor PCNN & Corporate Ambassador
Army’s Selection & Recruitment Center in Lahore near Fortress Stadium was shifted to Walton Road, Lahore and Gen. Kiyani & Rashid Mahmood were allotted big plots in the old center, Defence’s most expensive locality. Gen. Raheel Sharif has cancelled the allotment of prime land to former Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani and sitting Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Rashid Mahmood.
Former COAS Kiyani first got vacated the Army’s Selection and Recruitment Center in Lahore near Fortress Stadium by relocating it to Walton Road during his tenure. In the next stage Gen. Kiyani and Gen. Rashid Mahmood were allotted huge tracts of land of vacated Army Selection and Recruitment Center.
This center was located close to the Fortress Stadium, the most expensive Defence area in Lahore. However, when Raheel Sharif became the Chief of Army Staff and he came to know about these big property-making shots of Gen. Kiyani and Gen. Rashid Mahmood, he cancelled both the allotments, sending warning signals to all the powerful circles in the army, sources privy to this development told PCNN (Pakistan Credible News Network).
The Selection and Recruitment Center of Army in Lahore, near Fortress Stadium, was easily accessible to the common people, but the center was relocated to Lahore’s far-flung area, Walton Road, just because of few Generals wish to grab the premier land of old center. The sitting COAS also okayed probe of allegations of corruption against Kamran Kiyani, brother of former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Kiyani.
Kamran Kiyani became millionaire and then billionaire during the extended tenure of his brother, Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani as army chief. According to sources, during Gen. Kiyani’s tenure as COAS, everyone in the army, politics and media knew about the fast-growing business of Kamran Kiyani as he was getting big contracts from army, government and DHA, etc.
But the then COAS Gen. Kiyani kept his eyes and ears closed as he too knew that his brother’s business empire is turning into millions and billions. According to sources, former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari publicly stated, a couple of times in the presence of many elites, raising finger towards Gen. Kiyani (who too was sitting in gathering) “Kiyani saab, aap k bhai ka business tu achha chal raha hay na”. This taunt of Asif Zardari stunned many people, but not Gen. Kiyani as he did not stop penetration of his brother in the Army’s corporate empire.
Gen. Kiyani even did not learn anything from the taunting remark of Asif Zardari and he kept quiet on the business of his brother, who is now facing probe in corruption allegations.
Sources said that Gen. Kiyani must have kept his brother far away from doing business with army to avoid clash of interest and to protect the dignity of the Pakistan Army, but Kiyani showed not interest in it at all. A few days ago National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has cleared Gen. Kiyani from allegations of corruption. It is understood that Gen. Kiyani would have neither given in writing to anyone in army and govt to give contracts to his brother nor asked personally anyone. But why Gen. Kiyani kept his eyes closed to growing penetration of his brother in big contracts of army, DHA, etc.
Gen. Ziaul Haq and Gen. Pervez Musharraf did not allow their family members to do business with Pakistan Army or DHA as long as they remained the COAS. Ex-COAS Gen. Kiyani was, in fact, Gold Card, for his brother Kamran Kiyani, who lost no opportunity of making money through all sorts of business he could get from army, DHA or anywhere else.