EVEN as the revelations of the Abbottabad Commission about the sweeping powers of the military and its multiple failures are being discussed, the armed forces have been caught up in another maelstrom. The EOBI scandal landed up in the Supreme Court and led straight to Islamabad’s Defence Housing Authority. The revelations highlighted how EOBI funds had apparently been lost in a number of shady deals and how a huge chunk of the money was ‘invested’ in DHA land. When the Authority expressed its inability to pay back the Rs22.29bn, the court froze its accounts.

The court case has highlighted once again the lack of transparency in the affairs of the Islamabad DHA and its widespread ramifications. The land bought by the EOBI, according to the information provided in the court, was at prices far higher than the market price and it appears that the land is disputed. In addition, the FIA investigations reveal that the agreement between the DHA and Bahria Town precludes the DHA from selling land to a third party including the EOBI. Neither has the land handed over to the EOBI been developed as promised. The picture is far from clear and it will take some time before the allegations and counter-allegations can be verified. But this is not the first time that the DHA Islamabad has faced allegations of wrongdoing. To give one example, the investors of the DHA Valley (a residential scheme launched for soldiers and other junior ranks) have also complained of being swindled because of the agreement between Bahria Town and DHA.

In fact, rumours about the wrongdoings in DHA schemes have been the talk of Islamabad for years now and the absence of real information and hard facts have only allowed them to flourish. The military leadership needs to realise that the lack of transparency and accountability in running DHA are now tarnishing its image. Unless the military leadership is willing to launch an inquiry to determine if those running DHA played any role in the EOBI scandal; satisfy the investors of the DHA Valley; shed light on the agreements between DHA and private parties such as Bahria Town and Habib Rafiq; and bring some transparency to the running of the Authority, the allegations and rumours will not die down. This will only bring disrepute to the entire institution of the armed forces.