THE Rs16bn Defence Housing Authority Lahore City scam is shocking. The public, as well as officers of the armed forces, had over the years developed faith and trust in the DHA, managed and controlled by General Headquarters and through local senior serving officers posted at that particular station.

Starting as cooperative housing socities at Lahore and Karachi in the mid-60s, these housing socities were functioning well, and providing great benefit to all serving and retired officers of the army. With the increase in the strength of officers, similar societies were established in all major cantonment cities throughout the country and the name changed to Defence Housing Societies.

During Mushrraf’s rule its status was changed as an independent authority. Today we have DHAs at Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Multan and Bahawalpur. The authority has expanded and developed as one of the biggest business establishments of the country dealing in trillions of rupees.

Besides the overall control on the managment, the policy-making is done at GHQ. The functioning and day-to-day adminstration at each DHA is entrusted to a serving brigadier, who is the administrator but under the direct supervision of the area corps commander, who acts as the chairman of that particular DHA. All major deals or projects require the approval of not only the corps commander but also by GHQ.

Owing to huge sums of amounts available with each of the DHA, specially at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, from time to time there have been rumours and reports of some corruption and irregularities. However, these were always sorted out by army authorities themselves, some time severely punishing officers found guilty.

The reported Rs16bn DHA Lahore city scam being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau against two private companies is not as simple as it appears. It is likely to open Pandora’s box involving a number of senior army officers. Would the army be willing to cooperate and allow NAB to interrogate these officers and examine in detail the whole process of allotment of expensive commercial plots, each worth millions, and process of awarding contracts to civilian buisness companies and firms?

Maj (r) Mumtaz Bashir

Lahore

(2)

THIS is apropos your editorial ‘Property scam’ (Jan 10) pertaining to the DHA city, Lahore, unearthed by the National Accountability Bureau. It is encouraging that the current military leadership has decided to expose such elements. The details of investigation leading to the arrest of some big people are not known as yet, and it is also not known what process was adopted for outsourcing the job of allotment of plots to these two firms..

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has already taken cognizance of malpractices in the sale and purchase of files of plots in the DHA, Lahore.

In October 2015, the apex court had ordered the audit of the DHA, Lahore, within three months by the Auditor- General of Pakistan. It is hoped that such institutions would not avoid the mandatory course of audit.

Abdul Kabir Kazi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2016