ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee Tuesday summoned the Director Defense Housing Authority following the revelation made before committee that Defense Housing Society in the name of the development grabbed 300 Kannal land of Evacuee Property Trust Board, in Lahore, which did not get even a single plot in place of grabbing of their land. Even the directives of the Supreme Court were ignored and the national exchequer sustained a loss of more than Rs1.93 billion. The PAC held its meeting on Tuesday chaired by its Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah in which the audit paras relating to Ministry of religious Affairs for the year 2016-17 were examined. It was also revealed in the meeting that the company of Kamran Kayani—M/s Elyisum Holding Private company and M/s High Land Rising company caused a loss of billions of rupees to Evacuee Property Trust Board due to corruption and irregularities. The Audit officials told the committee Evacuee Property Trust Board has entered into an agreement with the DHA for the development of the plots on the land in Lahore and under the agreement 33 percent residential and commercial plots were to be developed by the DHA but later on DHA took a position that they would develop 25 percent of residential and commercial plots. The Audit officials told the committee that neither the DHA has accepted the offer for developing 33 percent residential and commercial plots nor returned the land that caused a loss of Rs1.93 billion. To the query with regard to the action taken against those who were involved in the scam, the committee was told that one of the officials was made an OSD. Shafqat Mehmood remarked that it means those who were made OSD were now getting the salary without doing any work. Chairman Evacuee Property Trust Board Siddiqul Farooq told the committee that the Supreme Court of Pakistan took a suo moto notice of the agreement that was signed by ex-Chairman Evacuee Property Trust Board Asif Hashmi, and the decision came in favour of the Evacuee Property Trust Board but the DHA was still not accepting the verdict of the Supreme Court . “The DHA has so far developed 100 kanal of land but the Evacuee Property Trust Board so far received not a single plot despite the fact that it was our land,” he told the committee and added that the Supreme Court in its decision asked to develop 33 percent of plots and also give commercial plots to EPTB. Later Talking to the media after the meeting, Chairman Evacuee Property Trust Board Siddiqul Farooq said the agreement for the 1946 kanal of land was made with the DHA and out of which 1100 kanal of land has so far been developed while the EPTB was only given 800 kanal of land. “In 1100 kanal of land which was developed, there were commercial plots but the EPTB so far not provided any single plot, “he said. The Audit officials told the committee that the EPTB has entered into agreement with M/s Holding Board Limited and M/s Elyisum Holding Private company but instead of land 50 files of DHA Islamabad were given whose price was Rs 90.68 million but the land was not given to EPTB. “Under the agreement, if the companies which were entered into the joint ventures did not fulfill the conditions then they will face 25 percent penalty and interest at the rate of 2.5 percent on the total cost of the project, which comes around Rs 2.96 billion and both the companies -- M/s Holding Board Limited and M/s Elyisum Holding Private company—had to pay to EPTB,” the audit official told the committee. To a query of the committee with regard to action taken against other officials of the EPTB, the chairman EPTB told the committee that those who were charge sheeted on this issue get the stay order from the court of law while the ex-chairman EPTB ran away from the country. When Chairman PAC Syed Khursheed Shah inquired from the FIA with regard to investigations, the FIA assistant director failed to give details of the investigation as he came unprepared. The chairman PAC expressed his annoyance of FIA’s Assistant Director for attending the meeting without preparation saying, “Avoid to make a joke with the PAC and in the next meeting a grade 20 officer should come and if not then we will summon Director General FIA.” Examining another audit para, the Audit officials told the PAC that EPTB has entered into agreement with the M/s High Link Pvt Limited into doubtful investment that caused a loss of Rs1.106 billion to the EPTB and now the matter is before the NAB. When the NAB was asked about details of the investigations, the NAB officials failed to give details to the committee. To the query regarding the owner of the M/s High Link Private Limited, the committee was told that its Director is Faisal Saeed and Asif Iqbal is the Chief Operating officer. Chairman EPTB Siddiqul Farooq told the committee that the special cell in the EPTB has been formed that will take care of all the pending cases in the court. In the meanwhile, Chairman PAC Syed Khursheed Shah sought details of “Mujamila Visa’ issued last year and in ongoing year and inquired that how many were issued and how payments were made.
