Islamabad: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has lifted the ban on the transfer of properties in compliance with Islamabad High Court’s directives. In a recent letter, Additional Director Land Affectees, Riaz Khan, announced the revocation of the ban initially imposed in January 2024 by the Deputy Director General Land, following a court order.
The ban, which affected property transfers related to land affectees, had been in place since January 2024. Prior to the formal ban, there was an unofficial restriction on transfers for several months. Originally targeted at properties allocated to land affectees during the tenure of former Member Estate, Afnan Alam Khan, the ban had broader implications, causing uncertainty for many buyers.
The CDA assigns plots through auctions or allocations to affected individuals, who may then sell them in the open market. While open auction transfers continued unaffected, the process was halted for plots allocated to land-affected persons. This led to protests by the Real Estate Agents Association, as the ban impacted the transfer of titles in the affected sector.
Despite meetings with CDA officials, including Chairman Captain (Retd) Anwar-ul-Haq, the real estate agents’ association failed to resolve the issue. They argued for specific identification of wrongdoings instead of a blanket ban. Subsequently, the Islamabad High Court directed the CDA to resume transferring private properties immediately.
Although a notification has been issued by CDA, doubts linger among realtors about the authority’s intentions, with concerns that the notification was issued under court pressure. Clarity on the matter is expected soon. The withdrawal of the ban by a junior officer raises suspicion of higher management’s reluctance to comply fully with court orders.
In a related development, the investigation into former Member Estate Afnan Alam Khan and other officers by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over alleged fraudulent land allotments in sector E-11 continues. The FIA has requested details of all allotments and plot changes during Khan’s tenure from the CDA for further scrutiny.
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