ISLAMABAD - The chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) has given principle approval of the restoration of trade status to the warehouse, comprising consecutive plots, of US Embassy in Sector I-9 Industrial Area, reliable sources informed TheNation on Monday. In this regard, the Planning and Design wing of the Authority the other day received the formal directives in black and white from the Chairman office, an official privy to the development said. The stunning move came at a time when diplomatic relations between the US and Pakistan are undergoing its worst phase in the backdrop of recent NATO air strikes inside Pakistani frontiers that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. When contacted, another top official of the Planning Wing expressed his ignorance regarding any such move, saying the authority had completed the scrutiny of the building plan submitted by the original allottee of the plots. CDA can not give the final approval of building plan until the restoration of trade status of warehouse of the facility, he added. The local authorities had sealed the US Embassys warehouse located in Sector I-9 on September 30 taking the grounds that it was built without the approval of building plan. Consequently, the trade status of the plots was also re-changed to its original status of beverages factory. However, later on October 15 the Authority following the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has unsealed the facility. The warehouse was unsealed following the written submission of the original allottee of the plots that no constructional activity would be carried out until the approval of building plan of the site. As per submission, the plan of the building was submitted by the allottee, Mehboob Elahi with CDA. The CDA has allotted three industrial plots to Mehboob Elahi under the trade status of beverage factory, but he sublet it to the US Embassy after managing to change the plots trade to warehouse. Consequently, the US Embassy started construction over the plots on August 10 prior to the even submission of any building plan. The US Embassy had lodged strong protest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs taking the grounds that warehouse is a diplomatic facility. The CDA responding to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the issue has stated that notices were severed on the original allottee on September 17 and 28 but the allottee did not adhere to the defined rules and that on the account of the violations committed by the allottee trade change permission has also been withdrawn. A source privy to the developments confided to TheNation that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had directed the civic agency to consider building as a diplomatic facility and after fulfilling the defined rules in this regard it should be handed over to the embassy. When contacted, Chairman CDA did not attend the call. CDA Spokesperson Ramzan Sajid was also requested for the authoritys version over the situation. I will let you know after sometime about the official comment after taking input from quarters concerned. But he did not return the call till the filing of this report.