ISLAMABAD – A federal audit has uncovered that the Jinnah Garden Housing Society in Islamabad illegally sold nearly 200 kanals of land that had been reserved for public amenities.
According to the Audit Report 2024-25, the land was originally allocated for parks, playgrounds, schools, and graveyards, but was instead carved into residential plots and sold for profit. The value of the land is estimated at Rs2 billion.
The report stated that the move violated both the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Ordinance 1960 and the Islamabad Capital Territory Zoning Regulations. It also revealed that development work was carried out without obtaining a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the CDA, while some plots that had been mortgaged in the authority’s name were also sold illegally.
Despite these serious violations, the audit noted that the CDA failed to impose or recover penalties, causing an additional loss of Rs25.48 million.
“The Authority neither imposed nor recovered penalty as per provision of zoning regulations,” the audit observed.
In its response, the CDA management told auditors that the case is already pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) has now directed the CDA to provide auditors with the same report submitted before the court.
The findings once again raise questions about weak regulatory enforcement in Islamabad’s housing sector, where violations of planning laws often go unchecked.
