Govt houses in Islamabad used as seminaries

PAC asks how can two different occupiers of govt property be treated differently

ISLAMABAD:

Over two dozen seminaries have been operating from government-owned houses in the federal capital for decades, costing the state millions in rent.

This was disclosed during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday as it reviewed audit paragraphs of the federal housing ministry for the fiscal year 2014-15.

Audit officials told the committee that around 30 government-owned houses in Islamabad were being used by different seminaries. They added that these seminaries have not paid any rent since 1966. From 1966 to 2009, these seminaries owed around Rs9 million in rent.

The audit officials added that unpaid monthly rent since 2009 to-date will be calculated separately from this outstanding amount.

When asked, the housing ministry secretary confirmed the issue, adding that the nature of the matter was quite sensitive and that they did not want to create any problems.

Further, the housing ministry officials recalled that they had attempted to evict a seminary housed in Sector G-6 government-owned house.

However, when they tried to do so, the students of the seminary staged a protest. Police officials said that when the law and order situation started to deteriorate because of the action, they allowed the seminary to remain in place.

Meanwhile, ministry officials told participants of the committee that they have so far evicted illegal occupants from some 2,000 government-owned houses in the federal capital alone.

Moreover, police officials said that apartments occupied by police officers in Sector G-6 have been repossessed by the state.

However, the seminaries, many of which were allotted possession of state-owned houses in 1987, remain in place.

At this, Committee Convener Munazza Hassan declared the entire episode as lamentable, adding that the state cannot leave its property like this.

She added that there should be no discrimination in retrieving state-owned properties and eviction of illegal occupiers.

In the eyes of the law, there cannot be different treatment for different people, she said.

The committee, though, decided to resolve the matter amicably and through mutual understanding.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2020.