ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has locked horns with the incumbent federal minister for textile industry, Abbas Khan Afridi, regarding the recovery of Rs770 million for a plot in Blue Area, in front of Fatima Jinnah Park.

Last year, CDA auctioned off 14 commercial plots in F-11 Markaz, Blue Area, G-10 Markaz, G-11 Markaz, I-9 Markaz and on I.J. Principal Road.

The plots were leased for 33 years with the civic agency saying it will provide basic infrastructure as well.

The plot in Blue Area was allotted to Afridi Traders, which stopped paying instalments due on Oct 27, 2015 and April 27, 2016 after paying off the initial and premium amounts. The reason given for not paying the instalments was that CDA did not make good on its promise of providing connections for various utilities including gas, electricity, water, sewerage and roads.

During the hearing of the case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday, an IHC bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the plaintiff’s counsel, Khurram Hashmi, if his client was ready to pay the remaining amount to the CDA.

To this, advocate Hashmi said his client was present in the premises and that the court may ask him the same. Many in the court were not expecting a federal minister to be the complainant against the CDA.

Mr Afridi was elected senator from Fata as an independent candidate and was given the portfolio of federal minister for the textile industry. He was the second highest taxpayer in the country in 2013.

Before the court, Mr Afridi said he was the highest taxpayer and that he is ready to pay CDA the remaining instalments if the civic agency will fulfil its promise of connecting the auctioned plot with infrastructure. His counsel said Mr Afridi had participated in the auction because the CDA had promised to provide utility connections.

He said that after paying the premium and the first instalments, Afridi had learnt that there were no connections to the plot.

He said his client had then asked the CDA to honour their commitment, failing which Afridi Traders had stopped paying the instalments.

CDA counsel Kashif Ali Malik told the court the authority was ready to provide the promised connections, but only after all dues are paid.

He said the CDA usually provides such facilities after all dues are cleared and that till they have paid off their instalments, Afridi Traders cannot claim for the provision of the promised utilities.

After hearing arguments from both the sides, the IHC division bench reserved order on the maintainability of the minister’s appeal.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2016