Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court of Islamabad will frame a charge sheet on Oct 19, against four officers of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation allegedly involved in china cutting, a term used in reference to illegal sale and occupation of government land. The court had summoned four officers of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation including Shafique Shahzad, Deputy Director Muhammad Ali, Assistant Director Faridudin and Assistant Director Rifaqat Bhatti, to frame charges against them on the next date of hearing. According to the reference filed by National Accountability Bureau in the court, the above officers were working on deputation in the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation and had been involved in illegal allotments of plots worth ten million rupees each plot, to their names. During investigation, it was revealed that the accused prepared 42 plots illegally through China cutting and didn’t get permission from the authority concerned in this regard. The reference added that the accused had also ignored the seniority list and allotted plots to their close friends and favourites. They were allegedly involved in the illegal carving out of big amenity plots and dented the national kitty. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had previously told the court that the three were involved in designing of fake maps and transferring of land through using bogus documents. A heavy loss had been caused to the national exchequer as a result of the suspects’ activities. It may be mention here that the china cutting scam was unearthed in Islamabad in December last year, which led to the arrest of three officers of the FGEHF including Director Shafique, Shahzad, Deputy Director, Muhammad Ali and Assistant Director, Fariddudin. Assistant Director, Rifaqat Ali, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in the month of July this year after the cancellation of his pre-arrest bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).