ISLAMABAD: A sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Friday directed the FIA to expedite its ongoing investigations into cases referred by the committee, related to the Senate Housing Society.

The committee also sought implementation status of findings and recommendations of inquiries into various housing societies from the Interior Ministry.

A member of the committee, Shagufta Jamali, claimed that her name was not in the beneficiaries of the Senate Housing Society. Another member Noor Alam inquired how the Capital Development Authority (CDA) allowed development work in seven "Mauzas" without approval of layout plans.

He maintained that low-grade officials of the parliament's both houses were not included in the list of candidates eligible for plots.

He further questioned the members of the housing societies boards who selected the eligible candidates for allotment of plots.

"Did any real estate agent also part of the board," he asked.

Another member Ayaz Sadiq said that senators deposited Rs0.9 million and only membership was issued to them. Mahreen Razaq Bhutto recommended the committee to freeze the housing society accounts till further order, meanwhile, development work should immediately be stopped.

The committee met under convener Shahida Akhtar Ali, which examined the National Assembly and Senate Secretariats Cooperative Housing Schemes. The managements of housing schemes said that they did not cancel any membership of any senator, however, could not take responsibility of their predecessors. They said that 1,589 kanals land was acquired during 2004 to 2007 and work was in progress in four blocks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021