US Embassy unhappy with civic agency’s ‘adventure’

Lodges protest with the Foreign Office; CDA stands firm.

ISLAMABAD:

The US Embassy Saturday lodged a strong protest with the Foreign Office over the seizure of its warehouse in the industrial area of the city. The move came after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and a police team sealed the building in sector I-9/3 on Friday for “violations of building laws”.

According to official sources, the US Embassy told the Foreign Office that it was against diplomatic protocols for the police to occupy a foreign mission’s property. One of the top officials of the embassy paid a visit to the Foreign Office and expressed embassy’s concern over the issue, sources said.

The Foreign Office referred the complaint to CDA chairperson, an official said. In its reply, CDA stated that they had no record of the sealed premises being rented out to the US Embassy or any other foreign mission.

The US official also reportedly told the Foreign Office that the issue was unnecessarily highlighted in the media by CDA to damage the image of the embassy and its officials. The embassy official also singled out a senior official of the civic agency for this untoward situation. Sources, however, said CDA conducted the raid at the US Embassy’s structure on the basis of intelligence reports that pointed towards “suspicious activities” in the building.

US Embassy Spokesperson Mark Stroh said no illegal construction was underway at the warehouse. “It was only renovation work.”

When asked about the US ambassador’s meeting with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on the issue, he said, “I would say embassy officials are speaking with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CDA.”

CDA, on the other hand, justified its actions to the Foreign Office without directly mentioning the US Embassy. CDA officials said that they were in correspondence with the owner of the plot, Mehboob Elahi, over the matter.

Elahi, who is a director at International Beverages, had sought to change his plot’s status from beverages to warehouse, officials said. “After the clearance of dues and issuance of trade change permission by CDA as per policy on August 10, the allottee started construction of the warehouse without getting the building plans approved from CDA,” the reply stated. “Notices, on December 21 and 29, 2010 and September 17 and 28, 2011, were issued to the allottee, which were not complied with,” the CDA stated.

Consequently, the case was submitted to the authority for legal action; the premises were sealed by the civic agency in the presence of the senior special magistrate on September 30, CDA stated. Enforcement staff has also been deputed on the premises.

Without mentioning the name of the complainant (US Embassy’s official), CDA reply said, “On the account of the violations committed by the allottee of the plot, trade change permission has also been withdrawn.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2011.