'Out-of-turn' allotment of plots to nine senior bureaucrats challenged.

Byline: Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD -- A former cabinet secretary has challenged the 'out-of-turn' allotment of plots to top nine bureaucrats, including Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Mohammad Azam Khan in D-12 sector of Islamabad.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear the petition on Tuesday (today).

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) at its first ever meeting in 2020 created these plots. But according to ex-secretary cabinet Abu Ahmed Akif, these allotments have been made 'in grave violation of Rule 5(1) of Islamabad Land Disposal Regulations 2005.'

His petition states: 'On March 3, nine tailor-made plots in the prime and developed sector D-12 of Islamabad were offered/allotted, out of turn by the respondent No 1 [Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation] to respondents 5 to 13 who are serving and retired civil servants/officers promoted to BS-22 in 2018, 2019.'

Petition says allotment of plots is not only illegal but also unreasonable

According to the petition, the CDA created the plots while exercising power under section 19 read with section 21 of CDA Ordinance 1960 on the pretext of amendment to the layout plan of D-12, and FGEHF allotted these to the PM's secretary Azam Khan, Hasan Nasir Jamy, secretary aviation division, Mohammad Aslam, secretary states and frontier regions, Mian Asad Hayauddin, secretary petroleum division, Zafar Hassan, secretary planning division, Mohammad Javed Ghani, member customs policy, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Fazal Yazdani Khan, member legal and accounting FBR, Syed Ejaz Ali Shah Wasti, presently posted in the establishment division, and former secretary information Shafqat Jalil.

The petition filed through senior lawyer Barrister Zafarullah Khan claimed that the allotment of plots to the above mentioned officers is 'not only illegal but also unreasonable, tainted with mala fides and involves procedural impropriety. Hence, the entire process of creation and allotment of plots under challenge is liable to set aside.'

The petition pointed out that since D-12 was an already developed sector, under the ILD regulations 2005, the CDA cannot allot a plot in this sector to any serving or retired officer.

It said the CDA made a decision to amend the layout plan of the sector and has given one month to aggrieved persons to file objections. However, 'it is interesting to note that CDA, even without waiting for the expiry of one month time, proceeded to place the plots...at the disposal of the...