Panel Flags Illegal Occupation of Govt Houses

A parliamentary panel has alleged that government houses illegally occupied by private individuals in Islamabad’s Sector I-8 are being rented out, while deserving government employees wait for official accommodation. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Housing and Works raised the issue at Parliament House on Monday.

The panel also called into question the closure of the Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD), alleging illegal occupation of government houses and the failure to provide official accommodation to eligible employees. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

Government houses illegally occupied: what the panel heard

Committee member Samina Mohiuddin Jamali alleged that private individuals were living in government houses in Islamabad’s Sector I-8 and collecting rent from them. She questioned why vacant government houses were not being allotted to deserving government employees.

The ministry’s joint secretary confirmed that some of the houses were vacant. That confirmation gave weight to the complaint.

Committee member Malik Abrar Ahmed said government employees were being denied official accommodation despite making payments, while their complaints were not being addressed effectively. The picture that emerged was of a system that fails at both ends: houses occupied by people with no right to them, and employees with a right to them left waiting.

A meeting without the officials in charge

The hearing itself ran into trouble before the housing issue was discussed. Committee member Mir Shabbir Ali Bijarani objected to the absence of the minister, secretary, and relevant officials, and called for the meeting to be postponed.

The chairman also questioned who would respond to members’ queries when neither the minister nor the secretary was present. Officials informed the committee that the newly appointed secretary had not yet assumed charge, while the minister had gone to meet the prime minister.

The chairman said no responsible official was present to answer the committee’s questions. Protesting against the absence of senior officials, Agha Rafiullah questioned whether such treatment was being meted out to the committee chairman, who belongs to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). He asked what purpose the meeting served when no responsible official was present to provide answers.

PWD closure under scrutiny

The closure of the PWD also came under scrutiny. Hassan Sabir, Syed Sami-ul-Hasan Gillani, and Dr Darshan Lal questioned how many investigations, cases, and disciplinary actions had been initiated against those responsible if the department had been abolished on account of corruption.

The members pointed out that more than 5,000 employees and their families had been affected by the decision. There was no clarity about identifying those responsible for corruption or taking action against them.

Haideri said it was unjust to punish an entire department and its employees for the corruption of a few individuals. He questioned why the department had been abolished without completing alternative arrangements, leaving its employees facing difficulties.

The panel’s questions cut to a basic point of fairness. If a department was closed because of corruption, the record should show who was corrupt and what action followed.

A housing system under strain from both sides

The I-8 allegations do not stand alone. Feature Pakistan reported on 2 November that 7,973 federal employees living in government residences face eviction as rent defaulters, with Islamabad accounting for 2,169 of them. One side of the system chases employees who have not paid rent. The other side, raised by this panel, sees houses occupied by private individuals and rent collected outside the system.

Both problems point to weak control over the same stock of houses, where allotments, payments, vacancies, and occupation are not tracked tightly enough to trust the outcome.

The panel has not ordered evictions or named any individual occupant. It has put the allegations on the record and pressed the ministry to answer. The next step is whether officials appear with records of which houses are occupied, by whom, and which employees remain waiting.

What did the panel allege about government houses?

It alleged that private individuals are living in government houses in Islamabad’s Sector I-8 and collecting rent from them, while deserving employees wait for allotment.

Who chaired the panel meeting?

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Housing and Works met under the chairmanship of Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

Why was the meeting disrupted?

The minister, secretary, and relevant officials were absent. The newly appointed secretary had not yet assumed charge, and the minister had gone to meet the prime minister.

How many PWD employees were affected by the closure?

More than 5,000 employees and their families were affected, according to members of the panel.

What did the panel say about the PWD closure?

It questioned why the department was abolished without completing alternative arrangements, and why no clarity exists on investigations or action against those responsible for corruption.