ISLAMABAD, August 26: A massive corruption scandal has surfaced in the Federal Employees Cooperative Housing Society (FECHS), widely known as Jinnah Garden, where land earmarked for public amenities including schools, parks, playgrounds and even graveyards was illegally converted into residential plots and sold, inflicting losses of billions of rupees on the national exchequer.
According to a special audit report by the Auditor General of Pakistan, Jinnah Garden Phase-I alone saw over 200 kanals of amenity land unlawfully sold off. These plots, originally designated for public welfare, were turned into residential units, causing an estimated Rs. 2 billion loss. Development in Phase-I was launched without securing a valid No-Objection Certificate (NOC), while even mortgaged plots were illegally sold. Despite these glaring violations, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) failed to impose fines or recover development charges from the society.
The report further reveals that the society’s head office engaged in fraudulent practices, including backdated file transfers, fake memberships, and record tampering. Sensitive files were allegedly removed from the head office and shifted to undisclosed locations. Insiders suggest this was done to cover up large-scale irregularities. Currently, the society has no formally elected management committee (MC), the term of MC ended on 21st August 2025, MC tried to get extension from Secretary Cooperative which was turned down, at that MC went to the court where date of hearing is 27th August 2025. The fact remains that either ongoing or outgoing administration has been called upon to answer for the rampant corruption and financial mismanagement.
In Phase-II, irregularities are equally alarming. Despite CDA’s approval of a new Layout Plan (LOP), the society continued to transfer plots on the basis of old street-wise allotments. This directly violated Islamabad High Court orders, which had placed a clear ban on all allotments and transfers in the housing scheme.
One of the most startling findings concerns Street No. 46, where a valuable school/community plot worth crores of rupees was converted into a residential plot. Within days, a building was constructed, and land grabbers popular known as “qabza mafia” took possession. This conversion deprived residents of a vital community facility.
Residents and members of the society have voiced grave concern, appealing to the Prime Minister, the Federal Minister for Housing, the Chief Secretary Islamabad, the Secretary of the Cooperative Department, and the CDA Chairman to take immediate action. They have demanded that illegally occupied public amenity plots, including land for schools, parks, playgrounds and community facilities, be vacated and restored for their original purpose, and that strict punitive measures be taken against those responsible for what they describe as one of the most brazen housing corruption scandals in Islamabad’s cooperative housing sector.
