ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority has decided to remove its land director in light of a scam in which the civic body officials along with a government watchdog attempted to gain possession of an eight-kanal plot in Sector E-11 through fraudulent means.

In a letter, the CDA requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to allow it to send back the officer to the Establishment Division.

According to sources, Sidra Anwar is accused of allocating eight kanal on the basis of bogus documents. The allottees had already gotten land from the CDA in 2006, but with the help of officials they gained possession of another piece of land. The allotment was cancelled, however, and two officials were also suspended.

Before its cancellation, the new party which had acquired the land from allottees attempted to gain its possession but the move was resisted by some CDA officials, citing violation of rules and regulations. However, a few officials of an anti-graft body with the help of the CDA tried to pressurise the officials.

Security wing confiscates files from suspended official; formal probe promised

They also used the name of a senior intelligence official to put pressure on CDA’s officials to get possession of the land. When the matter came to the notice of the said intelligence officer, he took action and asked the CDA chairman and head of the watchdog to probe the matter.

Subsequently, an inquiry committee was formed by the CDA chairman, as he suspended Assistant Director Aftab Saleem and a dealing assistant named Jamshed.

The committee concluded that the land was allotted illegally and movers of the file concealed the fact the allottees in question had already allocated land from the CDA in 2006.

Meanwhile, the security directorate also confiscated some other files from the possession of the suspended dealing assistant. “We have suspended the two officials while after getting approval from the ECP, the director land will also be sent packing,” an insider told Dawn.

A formal inquiry will also be launched, he said, adding that due to the cancellation of the land allotment, the civic body suffered no financial loss.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2023