| 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Affectees, Riaz Khan, states that the ban, initially imposed in January 2024 by the Deputy Director General Land, has been revoked following a recent court order.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. |
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