Rs. 3 Billion Financial Irregularities Exposed in Famous Housing Society in Islamabad

The Senate Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas has discovered serious financial irregularities in the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority’s (FGEHA) Park Road project, revealing that Rs. 3 billion had been disbursed despite no work being completed at the site. During a detailed investigation, committee members learned that a contractor had submitted a fake bank guarantee to secure project funds, while the Finance Director had released payments without verifying their authenticity. Further allegations suggested the Finance Director later attempted to blackmail the contractor by threatening to blacklist the guarantee. Despite being transferred, the Finance Director’s name was conspicuously absent from the ministry’s internal inquiry, raising additional concerns about accountability. Senators Hamid Khan and Dinesh Kumar criticized FGEHA for financial mismanagement and years of delays, highlighting that lawyers who invested in the scheme had yet to receive their promised plots. The committee, chaired by Senator Agha Shahzeb Durrani, has now summoned all relevant records to advance its investigation into the project’s irregularities. In the same meeting, the committee expressed strong displeasure over the absence of key officials from the Ministry of IT and Telecom during discussions focused on IT development and the utilization of Universal Service Fund (USF) resources. The chairman questioned why the Secretary and Additional Secretary failed to attend, emphasizing that their absence reflected a lack of seriousness toward parliamentary proceedings. Ministry representatives explained that the IT Secretary was on an official visit to Azerbaijan, while the Additional Secretary was engaged in a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office. When asked if any of the present officials—including two Grade-21 and one Grade-22 officer—held the position of Principal Accounting Officer, ministry representatives admitted none did, further frustrating committee members. Senator Durrani criticized the ministry’s indifferent approach, instructing the committee to formally communicate its dissatisfaction through an official letter. He directed that both the Secretary and Additional Secretary must ensure their presence at the next meeting, warning that continued absence would result in the matter being referred to the Privilege Committee for further action.