Constitution Avenue case: over 240 expats suffer owing to inordinate delay

Over 240 overseas Pakistanis, who are taxpayers and working at different positions abroad, have been suffering for the last two years due to prolonged litigation of the case of One Constitution Avenue project in Islamabad. While talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday, some of the overseas Pakistanis, who invested their hard-earned money to purchase flats/apartments etc in the project, expressed serious concerns over delay in getting possessions of their properties.
They said on one hand the government is attempting to woo overseas Pakistanis to invest in the country, while on the other they have to face problems if they do so. They said the government should resolve their problem, as this longstanding issue will stop other overseas Pakistanis from investing in the country. Maleeha Hussain, an investor of OCA building, said that her family is undergoing persistent anxiety as their lives have been put on hold. They are spending more time in courts to get their due rights.
Another overseas Pakistani investor, Tariq Khan said that this is not fair to the purchasers to face endless legal and political battles as they will continue to suffer both financially and emotionally. He questioned who is going to compensate them for their financial losses if their rightful properties are taken away from them. "Will Overseas Pakistanis ever invest their hard-earned money in any future projects in Pakistan?" he questioned.
Now the matter is going towards its positive solution as the FIA has reportedly informed the National Assembly's panel on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource that the One Constitution Avenue project in Islamabad is fair a and corruption free. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is probing the matter for the second time.
In a recent meeting of sub-committee 4 of Public Accounts committee, the NAB told the PAC sub-committee that NAB has discussed the timeline for submission of report in PAC with chairman NAB and he is agreed to finalize report in first week of May. On the reply from NAB, PAC sub-committee asked NAB to submit final investigation report May 08 as they need to finalize the matter by 15th May 2018.
The Standing Committee of National Assembly on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource recommended that the Chief Justice of Pakistan and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman to safeguard the interests of innocent people. The committee also recommended that the possession of flats should be given to the allottees at the earliest.
Also, the committee formed under the chairmanship of Attorney General of Pakistan by the Prime Minister after the direction of Islamabad High Court, did the deliberations in detail and recommended the regularization of this project as they have found no element of criminality and all the irregularities in the project are compoundable in accordance to the CDA ordinance.
In 2016, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had cancelled the 13.5-acre plot on which high-rise hotel building was being constructed. The Islamabad High Court had also upheld the CDA's action declaring the construction of luxury apartments on land meant for a hotel as illegal. Review petition has been filed in Islamabad high court against single bench decision. Over 40 per cent of the buyers of flats in One Constitution Avenue (OCA) Towers launched around six years ago in the Federal capital), are overseas Pakistanis.