ISLAMABAD, May 23: Powerful candidates are vying for the coveted position of member estate of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), vacant for nearly last two months, sources told Dawn .

Since the retirement of M A Farooqi, last member estate of the CDA, in March this year, the job is being looked after on stopgap arrangement.

In the background of recent land scandals in which several thousand bogus allotment letters were issued and then cancelled, and illegal occupation of hundreds of acres in rural areas of the city against which the Supreme Court had to intervene through suo motu notice, the position becomes more crucial.

Ramzan Sajid, spokesman for CDA, blamed the Establishment Division (ED) for the delay in appointing member estate. He said as it was a BS-20 position, the division's secretary had to select somebody to fill it.

When asked about reason for the inordinate delay as member estate plays a key role in running the authority, Mr Sajid said: “We have to wait and see when the position is filled by the government.”

But sources, privy to the ongoing moves to grab this coveted position dealing with land sold, bought and transferred within the limits of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), said the delay was due to a number of influential hopefuls pulling strings to get the post.

Amir Ahmad Ali, deputy commissioner ICT, is one of the strong candidates to become the next member estate. Son of Saeed Mehdi, former principal secretary to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when he was deposed by General Pervez Mushrraf in 1999, Mr Ali has strong backing within bureaucracy owing to his father's time-tested connections. However, he is still in BS-19.

Khalid Mirza, a District Management Group (DMG) officer of BS-20, presently working as joint secretary in the environment ministry, is also one of the candidates. Mr Mirza had worked as director land in the CDA, a qualification, according to sources, might help him. Sahibzada Mohammad Ali, a BS-20 DMG officer, is another hopeful.

Sources said the Establishment Division was not entirely responsible for the delay, adding that an endorsement by a powerful Islamabad Capital Development Committee announced by the PPP government comprising Dr Babar Awan, former law minister, Nayyar Bokhari, leader of the house in Senate, and Faisal Sakhi Butt, a close confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari, was also needed to fill the position.

“Member estate is one of the most important and sought after positions. Even lower level positions are filled after seeking approval from this committee,” said a CDA official, who requested not to be named. He said appointments and promotions in the authority were being haphazardly.

For instance, he said, according to CDA board's decision, none of its officials could get promoted to BS-20 before passing the necessary National Institute of Public Administration (Nipa) course. But efforts are on to remove this bar to get some blue eyed officials promoted to BS-20 without getting mandatory qualification.