April 03, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 2: As city managers concentrate on securing their present positions, Capital Development Authority Chairman Kamran Lashari is holding high hopes to remain in the office for at least a year as the Pakistan People’s Party claims to be in need of his services for some more time, it has been leant.

PPP officials, who insisted on anonymity, told Dawn on Wednesday that a senior party leader had given an assurance in this regard to Mr Lashari amid rumours that the CDA chief was being removed, and that the government was considering appointing a senior official from Punjab or former Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP) managing director Pir Mukarramul Haq to the coveted post.

They said a PPP leader, who visited the CDA headquarters few days ago and called on the authority’s chairman, had advocated his case before the party’s high command and managed to convince them that Mr Lashari should stay.

“The CDA chief has directly or indirectly utilised his connections in the presidency and the PPP to retain his office,” they noted.

However, Mr Lashari told Dawn that he had no desires for an extension of service as he had already completed five years as the CDA chairman and “worked with dignity and pride”.

Meanwhile, people from different sections of the society, including traders, builders and even CDA officials, were of the view that Mr Lashari should stay at least till the completion of ongoing mega development projects being executed in Islamabad.

Mr Lashari took the charge as CDA chairman in 2003. His name was recommended by former federal minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat when Mr Lashari was holding a similar position in the Lahore Development Authority.

Sources in the authority said with the exception of Mr Lashari, a major reshuffle in the CDA was on cards, and some board members and other senior officials, especially those working on deputation, could be removed.

The CDA Board consists of seven members with the authority’s chairman acting as its head.

They are member administration, member finance, member engineering, member estate, member planning and newly-appointed treasury officer, who has been given a handsome salary package of Rs200,000 per month with the status of a board member.

The sources said most of the board members were likely to be replaced with new officers as they were inducted on the directives of former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao.

They said Member Administration Shaukat Mohmand, Member Engineering Moinuddin Kakakhel and Member Finance Kamran Qureshi were among the officers that were most likely to be removed.

Member Planning Brig Nusratullah was earlier called back to the General Headquarters (GHQ) after Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani issued orders for the return of all serving army officials working in different organisations to their respective place of duty in the military.

As Brig Nusratullah still had a year to go till his retirement from military service, he opted for pre-retirement so that he could retain the office on contract basis.

The CDA chairman recommended his case and sent it to the Cabinet secretary, who forwarded it to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. The final decision on the matter is still awaited.

Meanwhile, the CDA board had restored the service of deputy director general (planning) Iqbal Noori who was suspended for alleged involvement in corruption cases.