ISLAMABAD: Real estate tycoon and politician Aleem Khan has defended his housing society, Park View City, after it came under severe criticism when recent floods left the scheme submerged.
In a video message posted on his official Facebook, he rejected allegations that Park View City Lahore was built on encroached or illegally acquired land, insisting that the project was launched on privately purchased property with all necessary no-objection certificates (NOCs).
Aleem Khan, who acts as minister for communications in Sharif’s cabinet, said the housing scheme was originally launched as River Edge in 2006, and that he acquired it in 2010, years before he held any government office.
Parkview City owner and federal minister Aleem Khan issues statement after the damage caused by the floods @abdul_aleemkhan pic.twitter.com/w8t5I8OWV2
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) August 30, 2025
“When I bought this project, it already had approvals from Wapda, LDA, Sui Gas and other departments. I registered it under the Park View brand, and over the past 15 years it has provided quality facilities to thousands of residents.”
Park View City and RUDA
Responding to criticism that Park View contributed to environmental damage near the Ravi, Khan distanced himself from the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), established by the PTI government to execute a $20 billion riverside development plan.
He alleged that despite collecting billions from developers and residents, RUDA had failed to build flood-protection infrastructure such as barrages, embankments and roads.
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“Park View did not acquire even a single kanal through RUDA. All land was purchased directly from local owners at market prices. We neither took any favour from past or present governments nor received any official allotments,” he maintained.
Park View and Ravi River encroachment
Aleem Khan said the narrative that Park View was responsible for turning “green land brown” was misleading, arguing that the RUDA scheme itself was meant to create commercial and high-rise projects, not preserve farmland.
He accused critics on social media of spreading disinformation for “views and money”, while reiterating that he had committed no illegality.
“Instead of blaming me, people should question RUDA, which collected huge sums but delivered nothing on the ground,” he said.
‘Park View City members are my brothers and sisters’
Aleem Khan also called upon the critics to present evidence supporting the baseless allegations they have been leveling against Park View City, claiming it received undue favors either from RUDA or the Imran Khan-led government.
On Wednesday, he visited Shahdara to review the flood situation and challenges arising from the flood water leveling in River Ravi.
“I want to inform everyone that my parents are buried in this society, and I hold it very close to my heart. This is not just a business venture or a money-making project for me — this is my family’s home. All the people living here are like my family. I love the members of this society as much as I love my own siblings.”
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Aleem Khan also promised to compensate every member of Park View Society for the damages they suffered in the ongoing floods in Lahore, which inundated almost every part of the community and its houses.
He further urged social media influencers and podcasters to shift their focus from Park View City to other parts of the country that were hit harder by the floods.
“Do not worry about Park View members; Aleem Khan is here to look after them. Instead, raise your voice for flood victims elsewhere in the country.”
Neither Aleem Khan nor his society had “submerged in the floods,” he said, vowing to rise again with full strength.