ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee convened on Friday at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) headquarters to examine issues related to built-up property (BuP) awards.

Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz, along with MNAs Syed Agha Rafiullah, Anjum Aqeel Khan, and Malik Abrar Ahmad, met with CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa and his team.

The MNAs instructed the CDA to review all BuP cases and ensure that all locals with valid documentation receive their rights. Following the meeting, MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan stated that it was agreed to undertake a manual survey of the disputed sectors would be carried out.

He stated that locals of Islamabad will be given their due rights, and the Nadra records and voters lists will be helpful to identify the genuineness of BuP claims, adding that the genuine demands of locals would be addressed. Sources revealed that it was also decided another meeting would be held on this subject.

Parliamentary panel directs civic agency to verify realism of BuP cases for Islamabad locals

It is relevant to note here, locals of Islamabad, of five undeveloped sectors in Islamabad, protested against the CDA for introducing a new land rehabilitation policy, which protesters claim is depriving thousands of people of their rights.

According to its land and rehabilitation policy, the CDA was to provide a five-marla plot to all those with a covered area of 300 square feet (house). Under this policy, the CDA announced built-up property cases across previous sectors, including C-13, whose award was announced in 2023.

The CDA had acquired several sectors including C-13, C-14, C-15, F-13, D-13, E-13, C-16 and H-16 in 2008-9 on land sharing policy, under which two type of compensation were to be given to landowners– land award, under which one kanal developed plot against their four kanal land and five marla plot against 300 square feet of covered area (house) under BuP awards.

The CDA announced BuP of several sectors from 2016 to 2023 and announced plots for people having 300 sq feet covered area.

However, in May this year, the CDA issued a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) for the remaining sectors, under which BuP cases would be decided based on the houses existing in 2008-2009, verified through Suparco imagery when land awards were originally announced.

Under this SRO, the CDA recently announced BuP awards for sectors C-16 and H-16, and indicated that awards for sectors D-13, E-13, and F-13 would also be announced under said SRO.

This has prompted protests from locals, who claim this constitutes discrimination against them. They are requesting that BuP awards be justly granted should be announced as per the existing houses, not of 2008.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2025