Overseas Pakistanis move court over cancellation of E-11 plots

ISLAMABAD: The cancellation of plots in Islamabad’s E-11 sector and their subsequent allotment to senior police officers at heavily discounted rates has entered the courts, with at least two original allottees living abroad challenging the decisions.

Mohammad Rafique Butt, who lives in Oslo, Norway, discovered that his plot in the National Police Foundation Housing Scheme had been cancelled even though he had paid all outstanding dues. The plot was later allotted to Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana for about Rs1.5 million, a price said to have been fixed before 2000.

The sessions court has issued a stay order in the matter and stopped construction work on the plot. Mr Kamyana had sold the plot within days of receiving it, and Mr Butt has also made the current allottee, who began construction, a respondent in the case.

In another case, retired Deputy Inspector General Shahid Iqbal, who resides in Canada, also had his E-11 plot cancelled. It was subsequently allotted to Deputy Inspector General Mohsin Ali, who was serving as the NPF director when the allotment was made. Mr Iqbal has separately approached a civil court.

Grounds cited for cancellation

An NPF cancellation letter dated April 2, 2023, sent to Mr Butt’s village address in Sialkot, said that during the digitisation of housing records, his original identity card was found to be missing from the record. The foundation also raised objections to the Norway address on file, saying it was not allowed under its rules and regulations.

The same letter said the NPF had not received any attorney letter from the Foreign Office for the law firm Khan & Muezzin, which had earlier represented Mr Butt. It stated:

"The absence of such correspondence raises doubts regarding the legitimacy of their representation on your behalf. In absence of due attestation, the attorney letter is considered bogus and with mal fide intention,"

The NPF further said a non-construction violation letter had been issued on Aug 29, 2023, and that the allottee did not respond.

Payment record cited in court challenge

However, correspondence indicates that on Nov 29, 2017, the NPF had asked Mr Butt to pay an additional Rs588,650 for the same plot. His counsel, Barrister Suleman Khan of Khan & Muezzin, replied on Dec 12, 2017, enclosing a pay order for that exact amount in favour of the NPF and seeking possession.

In the lawyer’s letter, the payment was described as follows:

"The requisite amount of Rs.588,650 (Rupees Five Hundred Eighty Eight Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Only), as determined by the commission and stated above, is hereby submitted through Pay Order No. 03542688 in favour of National Police Foundation, Islamabad, on behalf of our Client,"

Despite that payment, the foundation later cancelled the plot, according to the documents.

Other senior officers also named

Former NPF managing director Sabir Ahmed, who is himself an allottee of a one-kanal plot in E-11 under similar circumstances, has previously defended the policy. He said NPF rules permit cancellation of plots that had remained vacant for decades and their re-allotment to eligible officers of the Police Service of Pakistan at the original old price.

The current market value of a one-kanal plot in E-11 is about Rs110 million. It also cited documents showing that, besides Mr Kamyana and Mr Mohsin Ali, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general Akhtar Hayat Khan, FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar and DIG Karim Khan were among senior officers who received one-kanal plots in E-11 at Rs1.5 million each.