ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court resumed on Friday the hearing of the National Police Foundation (NPF) land scam worth Rs6 billion, the electioneering of PML-N candidate Anjum Aqeel Khan in NA-48 Islamabad may run into an unexpected snag.

The controversy Anjum Aqeel is facing now - that may cost his candidacy in the elections - is related with an agreement he entered quietly with the NPF to end a land dispute which is believed to be tainted with mala fide intentions.

Established in March 1975 as a trust for the benefit of the police, the NPF provided assistance in the shape of medical, education, one-time grants, artificial limbs, scholarships, dowry and vocational training centres to the police personnel.

After a brief hearing, a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, which is seized with the Rs6 billion land scandal against Anjum Aqeel on a suo motu, ordered the NPF to submit by April 29 the contents of the deal, which according to NPF Director Housing Tariq Haneef Joya, was under a safe custody with the foundation. Aqeel’s counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan could not appear before the court on Friday.

Aqeel’s company - Land Linkers - was chosen to procure land for the development of the housing scheme in Sector E-11, Islamabad, for the personnel of the police.

But the NPF officials extended undue favours to Aqeel in the process of procuring the land, and instead of allotting plots amongst the police personnel, the senior officials and high-ups arbitrarily and illegally got allotted 10 to 12 plots in their own names.

According to a preliminary inquiry conducted by Managing Director NPF Capt (retired) Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, the former NPF officials were involved in the irregularities in procurement of the land.

Many of them had either been retired from the service or left the organisation while vague agreements were made for the procurement of land without any final cut-off date and settlement of accounts by the NPF with the company.

The land procured through M/s Land Linkers was neither finally quantified by the previous administration of the NPF till 2010 nor any effort was made to resolve the issues of shortage of land/rendition of accounts with the company.

Meanwhile, Joya explained to the court that under the new deal reached on March 23, 2013, Aqeel had returned 22 kanals of commercial land worth Rs2 billion to the NPF in addition to 16 flats at the ‘Khudadad Heights’ Sector E-11 along with Rs100 million.

The deal was approved by a committee of NPF administration attended by former Secretary Interior Khawaja Siddiq Akbar, Inspector General Police Islamabad Bani Amin, MD NPF Zafar (now retired) and Anjum Aqeel.

Though Joya assured the Supreme Court that the NPF had taken into its possession the 22 kanals as well as the 16 flats, the explanation could not convince the bench.

The bench seemed more concerned about the 45.4 kanals which Aqeel had allegedly screened out while surrendering 608 kanals and 10 marlas in favour of NPF in accordance with the original agreement of 2004 to procure the land for the development of the housing scheme.

Instead of the original deal of 608 kanals, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) authorised the transfer of only 563.6 kanals - 45.4 kanals less.

About the June 22, 2011, decision by MD Zafar Qureshi that the foundation would register a case against Aqeel for the recovery of the Rs6 billion, Joya explained that he believed that the Rs6 billion was an exaggerated figure.

Besides, a subsequent NPF committee meeting had decided to withdraw all the cases against Aqeel.

The FIA seized with references against the candidate had also been requested to close the cases.

The Supreme Court also ordered Joya to submit a complete list of officers against whose names more than one plots were allotted.

Joya will also explain on Monday what action the NPF had taken against such officers who managed to get allotted more than one plots in their names.