Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: In a surprise move, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to stop an ongoing investigation against its employees involved in unauthorised appointments.

The civic body had forwarded an inquiry report to the FIA for further proceedings and necessary action on September 22, 2017.

However, on October 13, 2017, the CDA management, through another letter, requested the FIA to stop the investigation and to return the inquiry report back to the CDA. The inquiry had recently been concluded by a three member team, comprising CDA Director Hyumun Akhtar, Deputy Director Rana Tahir and Deputy Director Abdul Manan.

“The inquiry report held responsible two former CDA chairmen, board members and other officials for unauthorised appointments and their subsequent regularisations,” sources said.

When contacted, FIA Islamabad Zone Director Shakeel Ahmed Durrani confirmed the development. “We have received a request to stop the proceedings, but we will have to act upon as per the rules and regulations,” he said.

“If CDA was not certain about the findings then why had it referred the said inquiry report to us with a request to proceed,” he said. “The mala-fide intentions behind the latest request to stop the probe cannot be ruled out,” he said.

In her letter to the FIA director, CDA Human Resource Directorate Director Saba Asim said that the inquiry report sent to the FIA was an internal inquiry. “A preliminary probe to ascertain whether further action is required or not is underway. However, it is yet to determine what action if warranted has to be taken in this regard,” she states in the letter.

It was further informed through the letter that the CDA chairman had constituted another inquiry committee headed by an officer of BS 20 to scrutinise the findings of the fact-finding report.

“The inquiry report may kindly be returned without further proceedings. It shall be forwarded soon after due process,” the CDA letter requested.

During the tenure of the previous Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in 2012, the CDA had hired 32 officers on daily wage basis without advertising the vacant positions. The authority then sent the cases of these well-connected daily wagers to the cabinet subcommittee headed by Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, which approved them.

The officers filed a petition in the IHC, seeking directions to the CDA for their regular appointment.

On the petition, Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi ordered the regularisation of the officers. CDA had filed an intra-court appeal against the regularisation order, but the said appeal was subsequently withdrawn by CDA without any justification.

“Most of the officers, who benefited through this episode, are either the close relatives of CDA top bosses or they have political backgrounds. That is why the management is trying to delay the matter,” an officer said.

Sources said that the civic body had asked the FIA to stop the probe because of extensive pressure of former CDA officials, who had been ‘annoyed’ with the incumbent management after it sent the inquiry report to the FIA.

Former CDA chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, who was among the officers held responsible for the appointments by the inquiry committee, questioned the purpose behind the formation of the inquiry committee and its findings. “How can a grade 18 officer investigate grade 20 officers? The formation of this committee is itself doubtful because of this,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, October 27^th 2017.