CDA sells two office blocks to ISI

Published September 30, 2003

ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has started shifting of its two blocks to the old building of the Naval Headquarters, sources in the CDA told Dawn on Monday.

The sources said Blocks No 6 and 8 in the CDA’s main office, constructed on ten kanals of land, had been sold to the Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) at a cost of Rs140 million.

As the buildings were located beside the ISI headquarters, the intelligence agency desired to purchase them for security concerns, the sources added.

The agency had already acquired a large portion of the CDA main office some years ago where the authority’s main store and laboratory were located.

“It is feared that one day the entire building of the CDA office will be taken over by the agency on the pretext of security concerns,” the sources said.

The blocks have been handed over to the ISI on the directives of the government. The sources said the defunct chief executive’s secretariat had ordered the authority to give the two blocks and the canteen to the intelligence agency.

The agency had already expressed its reservations regarding possible threats to its security due to presence of visitors in the CDA canteen.

About 60 acres in the foothills of Margalla Range has already been acquired by the agency some 15 years ago without the approval of the CDA, the source said.

The Margalla Hills and the area in its vicinity had been designated as a national park area by the military government of Gen Ziaul Haq and construction in the area was banned, the source added.

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