ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday decided to initiate an investigation against the management of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for its silence over the construction of a commercial plaza on a plot earmarked for a wedding hall at G-6.

The multi-story plaza was constructed by former PPP senator Saifullah Bangash, who died in January this year.

According to a spokesman for NAB, the bureau decided action against the late senator at its meeting chaired by Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

“The meeting authorised the complaint verification against the former senator, CDA and others for constructing the commercial plaza on a community plot in violation of the building by-laws,” he said.

Ex-senator built multi-storey building on a plot reserved for a wedding hall in G-6

NAB Rawalpindi Director General Irfan Mangi has been directed to conduct the complaint verification against the CDA for its silence over the violation of the building bye-laws, he added.

The plaza was constructed on a service road behind the Aabpara Sunday Bazaar. The construction work continued for almost two years during which the CDA remained silent to the violation of its own laws.

The former senator had told Dawn that he had obtained permission from the CDA board to build the high-rise with one basement and plus five 0storeys. He had insisted that his construction was legitimate.

According to an official in the civic agency’s building control department, the plot was allotted to the former senator for construction of a wedding hall.

As per the approved design of the building, the senator was to construct three basements for parking and a ground-plus two storeys.

The owner had also started utilising the building without obtaining a completion certificate from the authority.

A shopping mall has been established in the basement that was originally meant to be reserved for parking. In addition, the building owner failed to obtain a no-objection certificate on fire prevention and life safety measures in accordance with the building standards of the CDA. The CDA’s present management had served notices on the owner of the building but to no avail.

According to the owner, he was given the plot in an open auction in 1994 for the construction of a wedding hall but due to the presence of Lal Masjid and an imambargah in the vicinity, it seemed not appropriate to construct a marriage hall there.

Hilal-i-Ahmer Pakistan

The NAB chairman also ordered a complaint verification against non-transfer of Rs180 million student fund by the Punjab education department to Hilal-i-Ahmer Pakistan. An amount of Rs100 per month is collected from three million students of colleges and schools by the education department Punjab. But the funds were not being transferred into the accounts of Hilal-i-Ahmer.

The bureau also directed NAB Karachi director general to conduct a complaint verification against the caretaker vice chancellor of Federal Urdu University Salman D. Mohammad for illegal recruitments in grade 17 and18 by abusing authority.

A complaint verification will also be conducted against former minister Syed Tanveer Gilani and former president Anjuman-i-Islamia Multan. Anjuman-i-Islamia Multan was allotted land at Shah Shams Road for welfare purposes during the tenure of Ziaul Haq. Initially, the Anjuman established a school at the plot and closed it after some time.

Later, Mr Gilani utilised the land for personal gains. Then the land was handed over to some other people who constructed two wedding halls and a school there. Mr Gilani illegally received millions of rupees rent from them.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2018