NAB Files Reference Against 9 in Sector E-11 Land Scandal; Court Suspends ECL Orders for Golra Sharif Family Members

Islamabad: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference against nine individuals in connection with the alleged illegal allotment and embezzlement of government land in Sector E-11 of the federal capital. The accused include former CDA officials, a patwari, and several other individuals linked to the scandal.
The list of accused includes former CDA Director Land Khalid Mehmood, Shaista Sohail, Raja Zahid Hussain, Syed Ghulam Hussamuddin, Syed Ghulam Najmuddin Gilani, Syed Ghulam Shamsuddin Gilani, Syed Ghulam Nizamuddin Gilani, and Syed Ghulam Mohiuddin Gilani.
The Registrar Office has begun the scrutiny of the reference, which spans eight pages, and it will be sent to the accountability court for hearing upon completion. The reference states that the case originated from a source report indicating that Syed Ghulam Hassanuddin and others were involved in the illegal allotment of state land in Sector E-11.
An inquiry was approved on April 20, 2016, which was upgraded to a formal investigation on June 8, 2018. During the probe, it was found that CDA officials had unlawfully allotted government land and received personal benefits in return. On February 21, 2024, Ghulam Hussamuddin and three private female individuals applied for plea bargains, which the reference claims substantiates their guilt.
The NAB has urged the court to conduct a trial and punish the accused accordingly.
Court Suspends ECL Order Against Golra Sharif Family Members
The Islamabad High Court has suspended the order placing three members of the Golra Sharif shrine family on the Exit Control List (ECL), following their legal challenge against the NAB investigation.
During the hearing, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani directed authorities to set the next hearing for October and ordered that the ECL placement be suspended until then. NAB prosecutors informed the court that the reference in the E-11 land case had already been filed in the accountability court.
The main hearing regarding the NAB investigation against the Golra Sharif family is scheduled for April 28. Justice Kayani instructed the parties to present final arguments on the next date and submit a progress report.
The court expressed surprise over the matter being listed before a division bench, with Justice Kayani questioning the administrative procedures and the shifting of single bench cases.
During the proceedings, the judges criticized NAB’s handling of civil matters, accusing it of converting civil disputes into criminal cases. Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan noted that this approach creates unnecessary legal hardships, while Justice Kayani questioned the absence of arrests of CDA officials and the basis of evidence collection.
The court raised concerns over the fairness of the investigations, asking what would happen if it ruled that the CDA had acted wrongly. The hearing was adjourned until April 28 for further arguments, with lawyers representing the Golra Sharif family and affected parties present, along with CDA and NAB officials.