Pakistan's housing societies facing litigation due to disputes, corrupt practices

Almost all Pakistan's housing societies working under the cover of federal ministries and government departments are facing an enormous amount of litigation in Islamabad High Court (IHC), reported Dawn.

Scores of petitioners have filed about 50 identical petitions against various housing societies seeking multiple relief related to land disputes, allotment of plots, cancellation of allotment letters, corruption and corrupt practices and elections of management committees.

Several ministries and departments of Pakistani real estate were created to cater to the housing needs of their respective employees. However, these have turned into commercial entities with the general public, openly buying and selling plots and files in these societies.

The IHC is hearing petitions against the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) administration for charging 'excessive' development charges, while some petitioners have accused the authority of not handing them plots they had bought over a decade ago, reported Dawn.

A couple of petitions have been filed against the cancellation of plots in the Naval Farms, for which the IHC has put the naval chief on notice.

A petition filed by a group of aggrieved officials of Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau said that the management of its Cooperative Housing Society has taken families of 3,000 low paid staff from across the country on a week-long fully-funded trip to Galliyat and northern parts of the country on chauffeur-driven cars to ensure they voted in their favour.

Four senior IB officers have also questioned the transparency of the real estate business of their own IB housing society and the alleged corrupt practices in recent elections of its management committee.

Dawn reported that the petition claimed that the management committee spent millions of rupees on those 3,000 members and their families, giving them a luxurious air trip and accommodation in Islamabad.

At present, the IHC has clubbed 45 pending cases of these housing societies, reported Dawn. The court has said that most housing projects of state agencies and departments are in violation of the Capital Development Authority Ordinance 1960.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, during the hearing, observed that every state institution "seems to be busy in the business of real estate" while they should be looking into irregularities of the business.

( With inputs from ANI )