ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Cooperative Housing Society (ICHS) investigators have uncovered what is being described as one of the biggest housing scams in Pakistan’s history.
According to investigators, nearly 36,000 plot files were allegedly issued illegally despite the society not having enough land to support them.
Sources familiar with investigations by NAB Rawalpindi and NAB Islamabad told The News that the approved layout plan and available land bank could accommodate only around 6,000 plot files.
However, former officials and alleged facilitators are accused of issuing nearly 42,000 files, creating a massive gap between available land and allotted plots.
Investigators have so far declared around 36,000 files illegal, excessive, or unsupported by available land, raising serious concerns of fraud, mismanagement, and abuse of authority spanning several years. Further inquiries revealed that records for payments and allotments of thousands of files are either incomplete or entirely missing.
Officials said many citizens were allegedly sold plot files for land that either did not exist, lacked legal approval, or was never properly documented.
Sources added that the huge difference between the society’s land bank and the number of issued files indicates a systematic sale of fake, duplicate, and excessive files, allegedly collecting billions of rupees from the public.
So far, investigations have uncovered financial irregularities exceeding Rs16 billion, though officials believe the amount may rise significantly as further financial records and transactions are examined.
NAB officials confirmed the arrest of seven suspects, including former Secretary General Mehdi Khan Shakir, former Treasurer Malik Muhammad Nawaz, former Executive Member Muhammad Arshad, and four individuals linked to a land dealing company — Munir Akhtar, Ali Mahmood, Yameen Malik, and Ghulam Jilani.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad Accountability Court granted NAB a seven-day physical remand of the accused for further investigation, recovery of documentary evidence, tracing financial transactions, and identifying additional facilitators allegedly involved in the scandal.
Authorities said the case may expand further as investigation teams continue examining the roles of other individuals connected to the society’s administration, land management, and financial affairs. More arrests are expected as the inquiry progresses.
