ISLAMABAD, July 27: Frayed tempers of CDA officials over the legal defence of their alleged misdeeds in the Islamabad High Court brought more misfortune to their top boss and a host of others on Friday.

Deputy Director General Municipal Administration Mansoor Ali Khan got so frustrated with the happening outside the court that he went back inside the court and made a clean heart – to the grief of CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal and others.

His charge that CDA officials are pressured to do illegalities and that Mr Iqbal had threatened him personally, made Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, hearing private petitions against corrupt practices in the CDA, issue a notice to CDA chairman to explain why he should not be tried for initiating a malicious campaign to undermine judicial process.

DDG Mansoor Ali Khan’s ire and fear were aroused when, during an earlier session in the day, Justice Siddiqui appointed Rehanuddinn Khan, standing counsel for the federation, as prosecutor for framing charges on Khan and four other CDA officials for meeting Faisal Sakhi Butt despite a restraining order issued by the court.

Others to be charged with him are Director General Planning Ghulam Sarwar Sandhu, Director General Monitoring Syed Imran Shah, and Directors Riaz Ahmed Randhawa and Haseen Raza Zaidi.

Once out of the court, DDG Khan warned CDA’s DG law Habibur Rehman that he would disclose the truth to the court and would expose the corrupt practices of the CDA officials. Other CDA officials tried to calm him but a threatening message from the chairman Farkhand Iqbal reportedly landed infuriating Mr Khan even more.  He went back to the court when it as about to rise,
and started spilling the beans to the judge.

DDG Mansoor Ali Khan told the court that before coming to the court he had cancelled the illegal allotment of multi billion rupees sites to an alleged girlfriend of a political figure and to an influential person in the Diplomatic Enclave.

Mr Khan alleged that under political pressure CDA chairman and its board force the departmental directors take illegal actions and indulge in corrupt practices. He disclosed that at least 10 CDA officers had been removed in recent past for not carrying out the illegal demands of politicians and CDA high ups.

Mansoor Khan, who is also a chairman of CDA officers welfare association, told the court that armed men of influential people harass CDA officers to compel them to do their wishes.

“I have received threats to keep mum (about the malpractices) or else face bullets,” he said. “My life is in danger and I need the court protection,” Mr Khan pleaded.

But what caught the court’s particular attention was a text message allegedly sent by CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal saying “it will not be good for you uttered even a single wrong word”.

Justice Siddiqui felt concerned over the message and observed that it was tantamount to interference in the pending judicial proceedings.

The judge said that whenever the court or CDA officials tried to expose polluted actions, the corrupt mafia started hampering the judicial process and try to exert pressure on the court as well as on those officials who come forward to point out corrupt practices, due to which huge financial loss was caused to the national exchequer.

The court then issued show cause notice to the CDA chairman Farkhand Iqbal for initiating contempt of court proceedings against him.

CDA chief legal advisor barrister Masroor Shah told Dawn that a reply to the notice would be submitted to the court at the next date of hearing, which is September 10.

He said the CDA wanted to eradicate corruption in its system and would always act upon court’s directions.

Hearing identical petition filed by PPP senator Babar Awan, the court was dissatisfied with the detailed report submitted by the CDA on the allotment of kiosks and commercial and residential sites. The court ordered that on next date of hearing directors of every CDA directorate would individually come to the court along with a report of alleged intervention in CDA affairs by Faisal Sakhi Butt, who had to lose his association with the CDA as a result of court action.

Justice Siddiqui also asked the CDA to inform the court as to why the private housing societies were permitted to pocket money from the citizen when they were not capable to develop the land. He remarked that CDA planning wing is facilitating Bahria Town and they planned new roads and other development schemes to benefit the Bahria Town’s current and future initiatives.