Bigoted remarks: CDA chief tenders apology

Deputy-director suspended for negligence in preparing report

ISLAMABAD: The head of the capital’s civic agency has tendered an unconditional apology to a Senate panel, belated though and suspended a deputy-director for drafting derogatory comments in a reply submitted to the Supreme Court regarding the Christian community.

The Senate Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges on Monday tabled its report over the issue before the upper house.

“Every Pakistani citizen has the constitutional right to reside anywhere in the country. The statement of the CDA in the Supreme Court regarding Christian community was a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The words used by the CDA in its report were discriminatory,” the committee chairman Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini was quoted as saying in the report.

The report stated that the CDA chairman had submitted an unconditional apology, assuring legislators that such incidents would not occur in the future.



Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani and other senators took serious note of the misleading report and referred the matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on December 21 for a probe.

The civic agency in a reply submitted to the Supreme Court in a case related to informal settlements had stated that the influx of the Christian community from different parts of the country would affect the Muslim majority in the capital.

However, the CDA misled the Senate panel by submitting a tampered copy of the report, stating that the influx of labourers from across country in informal settlements would “increase” the Muslim population in the capital.

Relying on CDA’s tampered statement, the committee’s chairman, Senator Talha Mehmood, submitted a report in the upper house stating that CDA reply was satisfactory and that his committee found nothing derogatory in the civic agency’s comments.

However, the Senate chairman found several discrepancies in the report, and told Senator Mehmood that the CDA chairman had deceived him, and referred the matter to the privileges committee.

Maroof Afzal also explained that minorities, particularly Christians, were not migrating to katchi abadis, rather Muslims from different parts of the country were.

Senator Saeed Ghani, a member of the privileges committee, was quoted in the report as saying that the CDA’s comments shows the narrow mindset that exists in the system.

The civic agency chairman informed the committee that he personally did not pursue or vetted the report before its submission to the SC.

Senator Jamaldini observed in the report that the CDA’s words could create disunity among various communities. He said discrimination against any community along any lines leads to violence in society.

Maroof Afzal assured the committee that to avoid such mistakes in the future, he had already reshuffled the team which vets CDA reports and replies submitted with parliament and the apex court.

Meanwhile, the committee was informed that the CDA chairman has suspended Deputy-Director Ejazul Hassan, on charges of negligence in preparing the report submitted to the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2015.