+- Accountancy Forum (https://www.accountancy.com.pk/forum)
+-- Forum: General (https://www.accountancy.com.pk/forum/forum-general)
+--- Forum: General Discussion (https://www.accountancy.com.pk/forum/forum-general-discussion)
+--- Thread: BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR OBLIGATION OPF? (/thread-but-what-about-your-obligation-opf)
BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR OBLIGATION OPF? - javed - 04-18-2007
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation Islamabad has informed its allottees that under under the terms of allotment contained in the advertisement brochure they were to pay the entire amount towards their residential plots in its OPF Raiwind Housing Scheme Extension by February 1992.
Majority of the allottees cleared their initial installments timely but seeing the fate of the scheme then viz slow development, litigation etc then they hastened to keep this progressive payments.
A few years back OPF informed the allottees that 95% (or perhaps 98%) development work was complete hence allottees clear all their dues and take possession. Immediately some of us arranged visit of a very senior Overseas Pakistani himself an allottee to visit Lahore. On his return in the gathering he informed that in the financial files of OPF the scheme might by 95% complete but the fact was that there was then even no identification markings through which he could recognize his own plot even with the help of an OPF site man. According to this senior then even the roads had not been dug. Now there is of course some development.
OPF has informed allottees about their failure in making timely payment but has not mentioned its own failure in meeting its side of obligation that under the same brochured terms when was OPF required to complete the scheme? If allottees failure attract late penalty, then why under the same principle more than 10 years delay should also not attract some penalty to OPF in the form of compensation to the allottees.
It is beyond any reasonable doubt that more H.E the President General Pervaiz Musharraf sincerely wishes to afford better and easy life for the public, the more the bureaucracy which is to turn his words into actions is aimingly doing to the contrary. On recent attack on GEO TV when the TV compare asked if this attack and other things happening against meida were not a conspiracy against the Presidentâs gifted freedom of expression, the President did not hasten in saying he would be looking into it.
OPF wrote this demand letter on 26 March 2007 and posting it on 28 March. Under this letter it has warned that in case the payment did not reach by 31 March allotments could be cancelled. Thus the OPF bureaucracy in fact wants allottees to receive its letter, make bank arrangement and payment practically received from USA, Canada, Belgium, Saudi Arabia all in 3 days. This letter has reached to my wife on 13 April. It is nothing but a deliberate attempt to create frustration amongst allottees and create unrest in their minds nearing the coming elections. Pakistan Post Office Karachi once formed a citizens Liaison committee to improve postal system. One such selected member had office on same I.I. Chundrigarh Road where situates Karachi GPO from where the PMG Karachi initiated the proposal. This letter to selected citizen reached on the same road in 22 days when meeting had held 20 days ago. Someone in OPF by this technique in fact wishes to cancel the allotments for the cancelled plots to be passed on to some special people as happened in the balloting of industrial plots last year near Port Qassim.
Years back OPF adopted a similar technique to deprive some people. Those were fortunately the good old day. The Federal Ombudsman took serious note of it and warned OPF that Overseas Pakistanis are working in strange atmosphere, sometime in deserts, their postal system is post boxes, one could had gone to Pakistan on leave etc hence directed OPF to be careful. But who cares as days have now changed.