by Shah Nawaz Mohal
Since its inception in 1960, the Capital Development Authority is considered by many bureaucrats as a ‘dream’ posting, as three years of service entitles them to a residential plot in pristine sectors of Islamabad. Presently, the CDA has 25 gazetted officers from grade 17 to grade 19 who are working on key posts.
These include Member Finance Fahad Haroon Aziz, Secretary Board member, Director General Admin, and Director Staff Asif Shah Jahan, Deputy Financial Advisor-I, Faisal Saeed Cheem, Director Environment, Fozia Khan, Deputy Director Saleem Raja, PA to the chairman, Arif Mustafa, Senior Special Magistrate, Imran Zia, and Director Estate Management, Saba Asim.
There are also officers whose term has expired and they’ve moved for an extension of 2 years, which is yet to be approved. The original terms of four officers expired months ago but still they haven’t vacated their posts. The term period of Asif Shah Jahan, who still holds the three posts of Secretary CDA board, DG admin and Director Staff to Chairman, expired 7 months ago in April, 2016. The term of Deputy Director Medical, Hamid M. Afridi, and Medical Officer Yasmeen Iqbal has also expired.
When contacted the, Deputy Director PR Malik Saleem, said that the CDA needs the services of civil servants and other officers from outside the CDA because for many years there has been no new appointment of staff. “There is an acute shortage of staff due to the ban on appointments by the competent authority; the Prime Minister,’ he said, ‘And in these circumstances the CDA is left with no option but to get the officers from other departments.
The practice of giving away plots to bureaucrats is nothing new. It started in the 70’s and 80’s when bureaucrats received plots in I-8, F-10 and other posh sectors. Due to this, in bureaucratic circles a posting in the CDA is considered nothing short of a goldmine.
