ISLAMABAD: A serving director general of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday challenged the recent appointment of CDA board members, saying he has been deliberately singled out in order to accommodate blue-eyed officers.

On Feb 8, the CDA notified the appointment of Rana Shakeel Asghar as member finance, Amir Abbasi Khan as member administration, Naveed Illahi as member estate, Nayyer Ali Dada, Prof Mohammad Ali, Ali Aghar and Iftikhar Hussain Arif as non-executive members.

Interestingly, an officer of Pakistan Railways, Sayed Munawar Shah, currently working as the divisional superintendent Rawalpindi, has been appointed as the member engineering.

Director General (works) Ayyaz Khan, a regular BS-20 employee of the civic agency, was working as the member engineering.

Petitioner says he has been deliberately singled out to accommodate blue-eyed officers

In his petition filed in Islamabad High Court (IHC), Mr Khan said for the last many years the posts of the CDA board members had remained vacant despite the fact that the board had to perform crucial and important statutory functions.

He said the directors general of the respective wings were given the acting charge of members.

The petition pointed out that section 8 of the CDA Ordinance 1960 enumerates the disqualifications for a person to be appointed as the member CDA. The entire scheme of the CDA ordinance generally, and clause (f) of section 8 of the ordinance specifically, barred any civil servant from being appointed as a member of the CDA board.

The petition contended that Rana Shakeel Asghar of the audit and accounts group, who has been assigned look after charge of member finance “forwarded his own name as well as the names of Naveed Ilahi and Amir Abbas Khan for appointment as financial adviser, member estate and member administration, respectively. Besides, the name of Sayed Munawar Shah, an officer of Pakistan Railways, was also forwarded for appointment as the member engineering.

Citing the CDA Amendment Ordinance 2021, the petition pointed out that the crucial clause (f) in section 8 had been omitted which enabled the appointment of civil servants on key positions of the civic agency.

The petition challenged the right of the above mentioned members to hold their respective office.

He requested the court to declare the notifications these members as void.

He further requested the court to issue direction to the competent authority to fill the posts strictly in accordance with CDA ordinance and law laid down by the superior courts.

An IHC single-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, will hear the petition on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2021