- Premier agency has assured civic authority that the mosque will be used jointly by CDA and ISI employees
- ISI has already acquired five constructed blocks of CDA due to ‘security concerns’
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has allowed premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to construct a mosque on its land, further shrinking the boundaries of the CDA Headquarters as five of its constructed blocks have already been allocated to the ISI on the pretext of ‘security concerns’, Pakistan Today has learnt.
On June 1, a meeting was held between ISI’s Major General Abdul Aziz and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz in which the spy agency requested the CDA for the provision of land to construct a mosque.
“Almost 3,000 employees of ISI are offering prayers under temporary arrangements, and land is not available within the premises of ISI headquarters. Therefore, it is requested to allot area, measuring almost 5 kanals, as marked,” stated a letter written by the ISI to the top civic authority of the federal capital as a follow up to the meeting.
According to sources in the CDA, the authority had entertained ISI’s request and allotted the precious land free of cost on the condition that employees of both organisations would use the mosque.
An official of the CDA, while requesting anonymity, said that earlier the ISI had acquired CDA’s five blocks, two in 2003 and three blocks some 40 years ago, as they were situated very close to the sensitive agency’s office and posed a ‘security concern’.
However, the secret agency had now requested to construct a mosque on CDA land which, it says, would be utilised by both organisations.
The CDA official said that, “It is hard to predict ISI’s plans for the time being. But the entire deal raises many questions.”
Commenting on the different angles to the deal, he said that the ISI might put barbed wires around the mosque and restrict public movement in the area citing security reasons, or the agency would occupy the entire land after taking possession of the five kanals of land and direct the authority to move its operations elsewhere.
The official further said, “Curiously, ISI has already acquired our five constructed blocks and a store and laboratory building [more than 50 per cent area of the CDA headquarters]. Now they have acquired another piece of land which will further squeeze the CDA headquarters.”
Earlier on Sept 29, 2003, blocks No 6 and 8 in the CDA’s main office, that was constructed on 10 kanals of land, had been sold to the ISI at a cost of Rs140 million. Back then, the directorates working in those blocks were shifted to the old building of the Naval Headquarters.
CDA handed over its two blocks, canteen and over 10 kanals of land to ISI as the CDA headquarters was located right beside the agency’s headquarters, which ISI wished to purchase for security reasons. Moreover, the laboratory and the store building of the civic management had already been handed over to the agency years before it sold two of its other constructed blocks.
According to ISI complaints conveyed to CDA, both the blocks and the canteen were very close to the building of the intelligence agency, thus posing a ‘security threat’. The agency had time and again conveyed its concern in this regard due to the presence of visitors in the canteen and inside CDA premises.
It is important to mention here that the ISI had already acquired some 60 acres (almost half of a sector) in the foothills of the Margalla Hills range. According to sources, the agency had occupied the land about 29 years ago without the approval of the competent authority.
The sources said that Margalla Hills and its vicinity had been designated as National Park Area by the government of the late military dictator Ziaul Haq, and any construction in this area was banned.
When contacted, CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz admitted that the authority had allotted the land free of cost on which the ISI would construct a mosque.
“The mosque would remain open to use by anyone, including CDA employees, visitors and ISI personnel,” he added.
CDA Spokesperson Mazhar Hussain said that the Authority follows its rules and regulations while entertaining requests from government organisations for the allotment of plots etc.
Pakistan Today made repeated attempts to seek ISI’s comments on the issue, but calls were not responded to.
Separately, the CDA has also approved the Intelligence Bureau’s request for allotment of a 32 kanal plot adjacent to K-block subject to the laid down procedures and after fulfillment of all codal formalities, including the prime minister’s approval.
IB had contended that its current office complex at K-Block of the Pak Secretariat was insufficient to house its 9,000 employees.
In May 2016, IB Director General Aftab Sultan sent a summary to then prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the allotment of the land and the PM’s Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad sought a response from the capital’s civic agency over the matter.
