ISLAMABAD: A team of senior officials from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has traveled to a Gulf country to finalize the transfer of an agricultural plot in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad, to a foreign buyer, sources told Newspaper.
The three-member team, including the CDA director and deputy director of the estate wing along with the personal staff officer to the chief commissioner of Islamabad, left for the Gulf country on Friday morning.
Their visit aims to complete the transfer of a 2.72-acre agro plot owned by a former diplomat of the same country, who purchased the land during his posting in Islamabad. The diplomat’s family now wants to transfer the plot to another citizen of their country.
According to reports, the trip was organized and funded by the embassy of the Gulf country.
Earlier in July, the same visit had been planned at the embassy’s request, but it was canceled at the last minute. The CDA had issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the travel, but it was later withdrawn after officials realized that, under federal rules, foreign nationals cannot purchase property in Pakistan without government approval.
CDA usually handles all property transfers at its own offices in Islamabad. In rare cases, when Pakistani citizens are unable to visit due to illness, CDA teams are allowed to visit their homes with special permission.
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However, sending a team abroad for a transfer case is unprecedented in the authority’s history.
After the July cancellation, the Gulf country’s ambassador approached the federal government, seeking permission to complete the transfer process. The request was later approved, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally gave the go-ahead for the visit.
A senior CDA official confirmed the development, saying, “Yes, after permission from the federal government, our team went to a Gulf country for a transfer case.” He declined to provide further details.
Another CDA officer added, “There is no illegality in this case. Initially, the process was stopped in July because we discovered that foreigners cannot purchase property without federal approval. Once the matter was reviewed and approved by the government, the transfer was allowed, and our team was sent abroad to complete it.”
