No action against the untruthful

Islamabad Chief Commissioner yet to remove a Circular Registrar suspected in NA Employees Housing Society scam.

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Commissioner of Islamabad has yet to remove a Circular Registrar in compliance with the directives of a sub-committee of National Assembly Standing Committee on House and Library.

The committee felt that Malik Din, Circular Registrar of Housing societies had a suspicious role to play in the mega scam of the NA Employees Cooperative Housing Society.

The committee head MNA Sheikh Waqas Akram had written to the Chief Commissioner Islamabad Tariq Pirzada earlier this month directing him to remove Din. Din told an obvious lie while recording his statement before the committee. An offence he later admitted to himself.

Committee members decided that Din should be sidelined due to frequent changes in statements.

“The chief commissioner has yet to comply with our directives and this is a breach of our privilege,” Sheikh Waqas said.

“I don’t know why he is reluctant to implement committee’s directives, but it seems that there an influential personality backing the registrar,” he added.

The three-member committee is investigating the mega scam of NA Employees Housing Society, where almost 3000 employees lost their money and the committee head had initially stated that a large number of officials have been involved in embezzlement since 1994.

Sheikh said that the committee has completed 90 per cent of its work and would make the report public by November 20. He added that Pattwari and some other officials have yet to record their statements, and the committee wanted to give them a final chance to appear before the committee.

When asked why he had not taken action against the commissioner for inaction, he said, “We are working closely with the ICT administration to reach those who have embezzled the money of poor people and don’t want to sever ties with them.”

He said that despite all hurdles, the final report would expose all faces. He admitted that requests had come in from various quarters asking that some people be spared.

Chief Commissioner Islamabad did not switch his phone on throughout the day.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2010.