ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday said it had seized properties worth Rs4.2 billion from the accused in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and private individuals in a case of fraudulent allotment of 43 plots in various sectors, leading to allegations of massive land scam in the civic authority.

The suspected allotments of 43 plots in different sectors had resulted in a loss to the authority of Rs1.2 billion, besides causing distress to the real owners/allottees and their families. The affected included widows, orphans and non-literates, besides others. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed during a meeting to review audit objections in the CDA for the year 2023-24.

There are two types of plots in CDA sectors: those sold through auction and those allotted to affected persons whose land is acquired by the civic body and are given plots in return.

Files of 240 plots initially allotted to affected persons had gone missing from the land directorate’s record. Chairman Capital Development Authority, Mohammad Ali Randhawa informed the PAC members that it appeared that either the files were bogus or contained irregularities.

Suspected allotments of 43 plots in different sectors resulted in loss of Rs1.2 billion to CDA

According to the CDA chairman, the matter was being investigated by the civic body as well as the FIA.

In his briefing to members, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Dr Usman Awan said of the 57 accused in the 43 missing files case, 46 were CDA employees and 11 were private individuals. Cases had been registered against assistant directors, deputy directors and additional directors in CDA.

“While most of them were on post-arrest bail, FIA was collaborating with intelligence agencies to trace the remaining who had been declared absconders by blocking their CNICs, placing their names on the exit control list and confiscating their properties. The fraud had caused a colossal loss to the authority of Rs1.2 billion. However, FIA has confiscated properties worth Rs4.2 billion, which can be auctioned to sufficiently compensate the affected persons at current market rates,” Dr Usman Awan informed the committee.

Critical of the connivance of CDA staff in double allotments of the 43 plots, the PAC members questioned the criteria of inducting individuals in CDA.

They wondered how could cheques worth millions be made out to non-genuine allottees.

MNA Hina Rabbani Khar described CDA consistently inept to reform itself. MNAs Shazia Marri and Sanaullah Mustikhel demanded that CDA compensate the real affected persons according to the present market rate.

Similarly, members were informed that in another case of mismanagement in land, compensation payments had resulted in the loss of Rs858.8 million. Auditor General’s office observed that the CDA made payment of Rs858.8 million on account of land compensation to the affected persons of sectors H-16 and I-17 during the financial year 2021-22. However, it did not properly maintain the land surrender certificates and copies of CNIC of the affected persons.

According to DG FIA Dr Usman Awan, 19 FIRs had been registered in this case.

Likewise, wasteful expenditure due to incomplete abandoned works had cause a loss of Rs358.24 million and another loss of Rs180 million was caused to the authority due to double allotment of plots.

In the case of the latter, land award for Khanpur Dam water supply scheme was issued in 1991 and the authority acquired more than 93 kanals land from affected Mdhammad Zuhrab and his family. Audit noted that Mohammad Zuhrab approached the civic body again to claim compensation. He was allotted plots again without proper verification of the previous records, which inflicted a loss of Rs180 million on the CDA.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026