ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: A senior CDA officer suspected of blowing the whistle on shady auction of 12 commercial plots by the hierarchy has been sent packing, Dawn has learnt.

Sources in the CDA said Aslam Chaudhry, director of Estate Management-I on deputation, has been sent back to his parent department because his alleged whistleblowing triggered an inquiry and forced the Capital Development Authority to abort the auction deals.

They claimed that his marching orders came as Cabinet Division Secretary Nargis Sethi readied to report the unsavoury findings of her inquiry into the affair to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had blocked the auction deals after reports appeared that the 12 commercial plots in F-8 and G-9 greenbelts, which is an extension of Blue Area, each measuring 1,333.33 square yards, were committed to 11 pre-qualified bidders.

Since the 11 were the only buyers to turn up at the auction held in August, many CDA officers felt the situation would help the bidders dictate a lower price for the high value plots.

A CDA insider, who did not wish to be identified, said: “CDA top bosses looked on the defensive as Prime Minister Ashraf was said to be unhappy and Ms Sethi’s report supposedly highlights a few lacunas in the process of pre-qualification of bidders.”

Neither Capital Development Authority chairman Farkhand Iqbal, nor his spokesman, was available for comments.