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 residential apartments and sold them in the market. Many politicians, bureaucrats and retired judges were owners of apartments in the building.

In 2019, a bench of the Supreme Court headed by then chief justice Saqib Nisar ordered the company to pay Rs17.5 billion for the entire project in eight years. However, the company paid only one installment and continued selling apartments.

After stopping CDA from taking any action, the prime minister constituted a high-level committee to review the issue. The committee was headed by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and included Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, the cabinet secretary, and the commerce secretary.

Meanwhile, residents also got a stay order from IHC against expected eviction by CDA and Islamabad administration.

The committee had been tasked with examining all aspects of the issue and submitting a comprehensive report to the prime minister within one week. Sources said the committee had already submitted its report to PM.

“The findings of the committee are yet to come to the fore. Besides, other recommendations, the formation of JIT was also recommended by the committee, which was agreed upon by PM,” said a source.

He said that during the meeting of the committee, one thing became clear that the rights of legitimate residents had been established and before evicting them the federal government or CDA will have to pay them their money in accordance with the market rate (may be double the actual price), said the source. He, however, added that until the report is released nothing can be said with authority.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2026 ...