CDA lifts ban imposed on properties of land affectees

Source: The Nation

ISLAMABAD - The Capital Development Au­thority has lifted the ban im­posed on the transfer of proper­ties in compliance with the strict directives of the Islamabad High Court. A letter issued by Addi­tional Director Land Affectees, Riaz Khan, states that the ban, initially imposed in January 2024 by the Deputy Director General Land, has been revoked following a recent court order.

Although the formal ban on property transfers related to land affectees was imposed in January 2024, there had been an unofficial transfer restric­tion for several months prior. Initially, the ban was limited to transferring properties al­located to land affectees during the tenure of former Member Estate, Afnan Alam Khan. How­ever, it also affected numerous other cases, leaving hundreds of buyers uncertain.

The CDA disposed of its plots through open auctions or al­located them to affected indi­viduals, who subsequently sold them in the open market. Af­fected persons are those whose land was acquired by the CDA, and they received plots as com­pensation. While the transfer of plot ownership through open auctions continued uninter­rupted, the process was halted for plots allotted to land-af­fected persons. This situation sparked a strong reaction from the Real Estate Agents Associa­tion, which protested at the civ­ic authority's premises against the ban on transferring titles in the land affectees' sector.

The association's leadership met with Chairman CDA, Cap­tain (Retired) Anwar-ul-Haq, and the then Member Estate to express their grievances, but to no avail. The real estate agents' association argued that any recent wrongdoing should be specifically identified and those responsible held accountable, rather than halting the entire process. Subsequently, some approached the Islamabad High Court, which directed the civic authority to immediately start transferring properties of private individuals as it is their undeniable right.

While the CDA has issued a notification, realtors still doubt the CDA's intentions, believ­ing the notification was issued under pressure from the court. They anticipate clarity on the matter in the coming days. An insider suggested that the withdrawal of the ban imposed by DDG Land, by a junior of­ficer like Additional Director Land Affectees, is suspicious, indicating reluctance from higher management to fully implement court orders.

Former Member Estate Af­nan Alam Khan, along with sev­eral other officers of the land and rehabilitation directorate, was under investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over a scandal involving the alleged fraudulent allot­ment of land worth billions of rupees in sector E-11. Howev­er, the anti-corruption watch­dog, instead of solely focusing on specific cases, has request­ed details of all allotments, changes of plot locations, and other information related to his tenure from the CDA.