The newspaper reported that Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) submitted a report to the Federal Ombudsman, in response to a complaint filed by former federal secretary at the Prime Minister Office (PMO) Syed Abu Ahmad against ‘out of turn’ allotment of plots to selected BS-22 officers in sector D-12.
The controversial Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Imran Khan Azam Khan is also among these 22 officers.
According to sources, SC judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa had declined an offer to apply for a plot in the federal capital. Six top court judges recused themselves from hearing a case related to scrapping a federal government housing scheme in F-14 and F-15 sectors of the federal capital.
The FGEHA report said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on March 9 provided 13 plots in sector D-12 to the FGEHA under the ‘PM package’. “After scrutiny of record and seniority lists of the BS-22 officers and senior judges sent by Establishment Division and Registrar of Supreme Court, office letters were issued against these plots on March 19 purely on merit in a judicious and transparent manner,” it said.
Judges, powerful bureaucrats, influential lawyers, and journalists are said to be among the beneficiaries of the scheme. The names of all the beneficiaries are not disclosed yet.
In 2017, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah decided petitions against the acquisition of land for these sectors and asked the CDA to take over developing housing schemes and judiciously dispense the plots after developing the two sectors. The IHC chief justice, while issuing verdict against the FGEHF had also declared that “the state has no commitment to give a plot in a non-transparent manner to judges, journalists, lawyers or any other beneficiary of the [housing] foundation.”
Later, the high court judgment was challenged in the apex court. In January, a four-judge special bench, led by Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Ijazul Ahsan reserved judgment over the FGEHF plea against IHC ruling. The verdict is still awaited.