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PM Shehbaz orders joint probe into Islamabad's One Constitution Avenue project issues
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Crime & Justice

PM Shehbaz orders joint probe into Islamabad's One Constitution Avenue project issues

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe issues with the One Constitution Avenue project in Islamabad.
  • The JIT, led by a National Accountability Bureau officer and including representatives from various agencies, will submit its report within 60 days.
  • The order follows the eviction of residents from apartments built on a plot where a hotel was originally planned, after the construction company defaulted on payments.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to examine problems with the One Constitution Avenue project in Islamabad. The JIT will investigate the matter and deliver its findings within 60 days, according to sources. The prime minister's directive came on the recommendation of a committee.

The prime minister ordered the constitution of JIT, which will probe the matter and submit its report in 60 days.

— SourcesRegarding the formation and timeline of the joint investigation team.

The JIT will be headed by an officer from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and will include representatives from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, the Federal Board of Revenue, the Intelligence Bureau, and the ISI. The prime minister instructed NAB to notify the JIT and provide it with secretarial support.

JIT will be headed by an officer of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and will comprise representatives from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, the Federal Board of Revenue, the Intelligence Bureau and ISI.

— SourcesDetailing the composition of the joint investigation team.

Earlier, the prime minister had directed the Islamabad administration and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to halt any actions concerning the project until he made a final decision. This followed an eviction operation where residents were given only 12 hours to vacate their apartments. The CDA had canceled the plot's allocation due to payment defaults, a decision upheld by the Islamabad High Court.

The prime minister directed NAB to notify the JIT and provide secretarial support to it.

— SourcesRegarding the prime minister's instructions to NAB concerning the JIT.

The construction company was supposed to pay Rs17.5 billion for the project, to be paid over eight years in installments, as ordered by the Supreme Court in 2019. However, the company has only deposited Rs2.9 billion. The plot was initially auctioned in 2004-05 for a five-star hotel with serviced apartments, but the company instead built and sold approximately 250 residential apartments. Many owners include politicians, bureaucrats, and retired judges. A high-level committee, chaired by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, reviewed the issue and submitted its report to the prime minister.

The prime minister had earlier ordered the Islamabad administration and Capital Development Authority (CDA) to refrain from taking any action in the matter until a final decision was taken by him.

— SourcesDescribing the prime minister's earlier directive to halt actions on the project.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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