Capital's agriculture farms being used for housing purposes, National Assembly told

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan has informed the National Assembly that the agriculture and orchard farms of federal capital are now being used for housing purposes. Responding to a query, he told the house that the agriculture farms of Islamabad have been used for housing purposes.
In a written reply, Minister Incharge of the Cabinet Division said that three agriculture farms have been given on lease in Islamabad during last six months. All these farms have been given on lease without auction, he added. They were allotted to the affectees of Islamabad under the Rehabilitation Policy, 1996. The authority, which approves such leases, is CDA Board. The case for such lease is scrutinised by the Allotment Scrutiny Committee and recommended to the Board for approval.
To another question, the minister said that the CDA has not made any investment in Islamabad Stock Exchange. In a written reply, Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said the Ministry of Labour and Manpower issues the licences to Overseas Employment Promoters to conduct manpower export business and secure demands for employment abroad. Recruitment against the specific demands received from abroad is a continuous process, he added.
It is the policy of the government to take measures for increasing/ promotion of the manpower export. The number of workers depends upon the recruitment of foreign employers and government of that country. It is, therefore, not possible to quote a particular figure for any particular country.
Around 1446201 workers were registered for employment abroad with the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment and 5,405 persons were sent by the Overseas Employment Corporation during the last five years for different countries, he added.