Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of Jamiat Ulema e Islam (JUI), Senator Talha Mahmood run an outdoor advertisement campaign to welcome Imam-e-Kaba and Minister for Religious Affairs of Saudi Arabia without paying a single penny to CDA as fee by using his influence, which caused a financial loss to the public exchequer.

Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah Sheikh Saleh Bin Muhammad Al-Talib and Saudi Religious Affairs Minister Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdul Aziz are on a visit of Pakistan to attend three-day Jamait Ulema Islam (JUI) centennial celebrations at Azakhel, Nowshera.

An outdoor advertisement campaign, all the way from Benazir Bhutto International Airport to Convention Centre, Islamabad is underway since Friday, the first day of three-day centennial celebrations.

The campaign includes streamers and hoardings containing pictures of JUI Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Imam-e-Kaba, Saudi Minister on top and the picture of Senator Talha Mahmood in bottom. Ironically, the whole campaign has been managed without paying a single penny to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), which is otherwise mandatory for such outdoor advertisements under the Islamabad Control of Advertisement Regulations 1977.

Sources inside the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) confirmed that no payment has been made by parliamentarian or his representative against this outdoor advertisement, which caused a loss to the public exchequer.

“Fee for a single road streamer is Rs 600 per day and this campaign involves over four hundred streamers displayed on main roads since Friday”, a concerned officer of the CDA told on the condition of anonymity by adding: “The Senator caused a damage of around half of a million to the authority by using his influence.” The aforementioned fee is a calculation of rent for streamers displayed on the straight lights pools only whereas rates for road side big hoardings are not included in this sum as these hoardings are managed by private parties.

“In routine, the DMA officials remove any banner or streamer displayed without the prior approval and payment to the authority, but these are not being removed as higher ups directed us to ignore this campaign”, an employee of the authority has informed. When contacted, the Chief Metropolitan Corporation Asad Mehboob Kiani has said; “The issue is not in my knowledge as it is of the level of Director DMA, but if the campaign has been run without approval then it is quite unfortunate.”

Director DMA Capitan retired Tahir Shabaz Nadeem was contacted several times, but he was unable to respond on the issue. It is quite essential to mention here that Senator Talha Mahmood is in a very dominant position on the higher-ups of MCI and CDA as they are supposed to answerable before Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat and Talha is the Chairman of said committee. As for instance, a matter of the appointment of the Mayor of Islamabad Shaikh Ansar Aziz as Chairman CDA was taken up by the Senator Talha Mahmood around six months before in the committee, but the same could never become an agenda of any following committee again.

While talking to The Daily Times, the Senator Talha Mahmood has responded; “I have paid a company for running this campaign and he charged me a heavy amount. I don’t know why he has not paid the required fee in CDA.” However, when asked him to tell the name of advertiser or company, the Senator replied, “I am with Imam-e-Kaba and will talk you later.”