Daily Times

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) while making 3rd attempt against the property tycoon Malik Riaz owned Bahria Encalve of retrieving 510 Kanals government land badly failed as the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration issued directives to cancel ongoing operation to encroachment wing on Monday.

A senior official of the encroachment wing of the civic agency told Daily Times that the machinery of CDA along with team and police arrived on the spot in Bahria Enclave to carry an anti-encroachment drive but an official of the ICT administration barred the team from doing operation to retrieve the government land grabbed by land tycoon.

He added that strict directions were issued to carry a powerful operation against encroachment but early morning on Monday, when we reached the premises and ordered CDA team to start operation, the ICT senior official present on the spot got a call from someone and then ordered to cancel the operation despite full preparedness.

It’s pertained to mention here that after demarcation of the civic agency, the Bahria Enclave is accused of grabbing 510 Kanals state land. The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered to retrieve state land from the land grabber but still land could not be retrieved. State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi on day one visited the spot, while in a media talk claimed that thousands of Kanals were retrieved from Malik Riaz but the Minister’s claim was a fabricated baseless, according to senior officials of the civic agency and ICT administration.

The Capital’s body already made two attempts to retrieve the land from tycoon but every time operation gots cancelled due to unknown reasons.

Malik Riaz in a letter some months ago- available with Daily Times- requested Chairman of CDA for legalizing their land according to property rates in market but Chairman CDA Afzal Latif refused the offer despite a huge pressure from government circle and later according to responsible officials, Chairman CDA quit his job due to pressure.

Another official of the CDA told Daily Times that it’s a tactic of some senior bosses who received bribed from Malik Riaz. He added that if ICT and CDA aren’t interested in getting the ownership of the state land, why they are wasting the resources of the civic agency while doing propaganda.

The property tycoon Malik Riaz in recent summon to Supreme Court agreed to give 250 billion to government for legalizing the Bahria property but Court is demanding 1,000 billion.

Published in Daily Times, January 29^th 2019.