ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has stopped the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from allotting official accommodation without following the rules and the general waiting list (GWL).

The court issued the direction during hearing of a petition filed by five paramedical staff of CDA Hospital.

Kashif Ali Malik, the counsel for the petitioners, argued before the court that the Supreme Court in 2012 had issued a landmark judgment with regard to allotment of houses to government servants.

He said the IHC in 2019 in two separate cases had also made it mandatory that no allotment shall be made in violation of the apex court’s judgment.

According to him, the CDA board on June 19, 2020, adopted the Accommodation, Allocation Rules 2002 and in pursuant to that a general waiting list (GWL) was uploaded to the official website of the civic agency. He said the petitioners were among those on top of the list in their respective category.

However, Assistant Director Sheikh Zeeshan, the counsel alleged, changed the seniority list and not only added his own name to it but also changed the seniority of his brother Sheikh Faizan and others. Likewise, his clerk Mohammad Azim changed the seniority list and got allotted a house to himself, he added.

Director Admin Ghulam Shabbir, whose nephew Amir Munir was on serial number 111 in the GWL, was placed on serial number 1 on the revised list, the counsel added.

Justice Minallah issued a stay order on the allotments and sought a reply in a fortnight. Further hearing in the matter was adjourned till then.

According to court documents, Mr Faizan is on a two-year ex-Pakistan leave and is currently abroad but was allotted an official residence in Pakistan.

He and his brother were among 50 officials inducted in the CDA in 2011 on daily wage without advertising the positions in the press and inviting applications, the documents said. The subcommittee of the cabinet regularised their services in the subsequent years. As per the documents available with Dawn, former CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal had inducted his son Asim Iqbal as the admin officer.

Likewise, director general environment CDA Sheikh Suleman managed the induction of his two sons, Sheikh Faizan and Sehikh Suleman, as admin officers.

Mohammad Qaseem, son of building inspector Malik Ramzan, was inducted as assistant director along with Raheel Junejo, son of deputy director Roshan Junejo, Kashif Gopang, son of ex-director Anwar Gopang, and Mehran Chandio, son of PPP leader Mola Buksh Chandio.

An inquiry report found that the 50 CDA officials were inducted on daily wage basis and contrary to rules were regularised in BS-16 and BS-17. The report prepared by the inquiry committee headed by Humayun Akhtar, director sector development, said there was no ban on regular appointments and the establishment division had also issued a no-objection certificate to the CDA for hiring employees in accordance with rules and procedures.

Therefore, there was no justification for appointing them on a daily wage basis that too without advertising the posts, it added.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2020