PM Shehbaz orders setting up of JIT to probe Islamabad's One Constitution Avenue project issues

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to examine issues related to the One Constitution Avenue project. Sources said on the recommendation of a committee the prime minister ordered the constitution of JIT, which will probe the matter and submit its report in 60 days. They said JIT will be headed by an officer of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and will comprise representatives from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Intelligence Bureau and ISI. The prime minister directed NAB to notify the JIT and provide secretarial support to it. Led by NAB officer, JIT will submit its report to prime minister in 60 days The prime minister had earlier ordered the Islamabad administration and Capital Development Authority (CDA) to refrain from taking any action in the matter until a final decision was taken by him. Earlier, the capital administration and CDA, backed by a heavy contingent of police, reached the site and issued eviction notices giving residents hardly 12 hours to vacate the building. Residents had begun vacating their apartments on a voluntary basis amid a heavy police presence. They were seen shifting their belongings onto mini-trucks as the building remained under the control of the local administration and police. The eviction operation followed Islamabad High Court’s orders, which upheld the CDA’s decision to cancel the plot due to payment default. The construction company, out of a total Rs17.5 billion, decided by the Supreme Court in 2019 and to be paid in over eight years in installments, has so far deposited only Rs2.9 billion. In 2004-05, the CDA had auctioned the plot for the construction of a five-star hotel with serviced apartments as part of the project for Rs4.8 billion. However, the company did not pay the amount within the stipulated time. Instead of constructing the hotel, it built around 250 residen