Katchi abadis: CDA official arrested from court

FIA officials took Bilal Zafar into custody from the court premises

ISLAMABAD: An enforcement inspector for the capital’s civic agency was arrested on Tuesday in a case pertaining to illegal settlements in the city.

Bilal Zafar, an enforcement inspector for the Capital Development Authority (CDA), was arrested following the dismissal of his pre-arrest bail in the katchi abadi case.

Special Judge Central Malik Nazir Ahmed dismissed the bail application, after which officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took Zafar into custody from the court premises.

Previously, the court had declared 15 CDA officials as proclaimed offenders in connection with facilitating the establishment of the city’s fastest growing irregular settlement, located on a greenbelt between sectors H-9 and H-10.

While allowing the application, the court had directed the FIA to initiate proceedings against the officials of the CDA under sections 87 (proclamation for persons absconding) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The FIA had informed the court that they were unable to execute warrants that were issued earlier by the same court.

Around 42 officials have been booked in the case.

According to the FIR, a large area of the Islamabad Capital Territory owned or acquired by the CDA authority was either under the illegal occupation, or encroached upon with the active connivance, assistance and abetment of civic agency officials.

In the current case, the FIA maintains that records of only two kachi abadies – Akram Gill Colony and Rimsha Colony, established since 2009 on green belt areas – has been obtained. The investigating agency added that action against other katchi abadis will be initiated separately after obtaining the relevant records.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2016.