Serving and Retired Bureaucrats Get ‘Free’ Plots in One of Islamabad’s Most Expensive Sectors

Senior bureaucrats and top police officers are getting one-kanal plots in Islamabad’s posh Sector E-11 at ridiculously low prices which are just 1.5 percent of today’s market rates. Among the beneficiaries are former interior secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani and senior police officials, including IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akhtar Hayat Khan, IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar, and NPF Managing Director Sabir Ahmed, reported a national daily. Similar preferential allotments were reported in Sector O-9, where Additional IG Punjab Bilal Siddique Kamyana received a plot for Rs. 500,000, despite its market value being Rs. 30 million. The National Police Foundation (NPF) charged Rs. 1.57 million per plot, compared to the present market value of Rs. 100 million. NPF Managing Director Sabir Ahmed has defended these rates. He said no rules were broken as plots lying vacant for decades can be reallocated at their original prices. He added that the plot registries were terminated after previous owners failed to maintain contact. The move, however, has faced criticism. Former DIG Shahid Iqbal, whose plot was reallocated to another officer, has challenged the decision in court alleging unfair cancellation. A former legal adviser has accused the NPF of using a biased approach to benefit preferred officers. The controversy has become even more concerning after it was revealed that former interior secretary Durrani issued a regulatory order just before his retirement and granted the NPF greater autonomy and allowed its managing director’s term to be extended—which is against the society’s rules.