Covering up tracks?: City boss seals his own municipal directorate

CDA chairman was accused of corruption by the DMA head.

ISLAMABAD:

After being accused of blackmail and abuse of office, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman has sealed the entire directorate which his accuser heads.

The Municipal Administration Directorate (DMA) was closed for business after its deputy director general (DDG) gave a statement in court incriminating CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal in illegal appointments, corrupt practices and attempts to blackmail staff who did not turn a blind eye to his questionable orders.

The clash erupted when Mansoor Ali Khan, the DMA DDG, blamed the CDA chief for all the civic agency’s ills and acting to further the interests of top politicians. Mansoor also showed the court an SMS sent by Iqbal in which the chairman threatened him with dire consequences if he provided the court with any evidence of his wrongdoing.

Over the weekend, the chairman directed the administration to seal the entire directorate and stop the DDG from entering the office. All DMA records, which may provide evidence against Iqbal if the accusations are to be proved, have been sealed.

Sources said efforts are being made to re-assign Mansoor, who is on deputation, to his parent department. However, till the filing of this report, there was no notification issued about his transfer or removal.

Earlier, Khan accused the chairman of appointing his blue-eyed boys in the authority and giving favours to close aides including his brother, who was given permission to post advertisements in various localities in the city.

On Friday, the Islamabad High Court had issued contempt notices to the CDA chairman for interfering in court proceedings via the threatening text message.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui passed the order while hearing a land allotment case based on three identical petitions filed by Senator Babar Awan, former Islamabad Bar Association president Niazullah Niazi, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan.

Justice Siddiqui issued a contempt notice to Iqbal after Mansoor informed the court that he had received threatening calls from the CDA chairman and showed the court the threatening text messages on his cell phone.

Despite repeated attempts, the CDA chairman and Mansoor did not answer their cell phones, while CDA Deputy Director Ramzan Sajid, who is also the civic agency’s spokesperson, was reluctant to comment on the issue, saying that he was not authorised to give an official version.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2012.