ISLAMABAD            -         The federal government has decided to vacate all 10 properties of the Abandoned Properties Organization (APO) in Islamabad which are presently under ‘illegal occupation.’ All necessary administrative measures may be taken to vacate the houses which are presently under illegal occupation, said a summary by the Cabinet Division to the federal capital for approval. Abandoned Properties Organisation (APO) is an autonomous body established on 12 February 1975 under the Abandoned Properties (Management) Act, 1975. The mandate of the APO is to manage and administer the properties (movable and immovable) abandoned by the former citizens of Pakistan who migrated to Bangladesh on and after 16 December 1971. According to the documents exclusively available with The Nation, a set of proposals is all set to be placed before the federal cabinet for approval that also includes the one suggesting that one of the 10 houses may be reserved for Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, who has no designated official accommodation in the city. Under the rule of business, 1973, APO falls under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and is supervised by a Board of Trustees constituted under section 4 of the Act. The BOT is responsible for control and management of the abandoned properties and is notified by the federal government. Section 4 (2) of the Abandoned Properties (Management) Act, 1975 provides: “In discharging its functions, the Board shall be guided on question of policy by the instructions, if any, given to it by the federal government, which shall be the sole judge as to whether a question is a question of policy.” In terms of section 28 and 29, read with section 4 (2) of the Abandoned Properties (Management) Act 1975, the federal government has the requisite powers to administer the properties regulated under the Act. On a summary for the Prime Minister dated 11 August 2022 for soliciting orders pertaining to the houses of APO in Islamabad, the prime minister under a UO dated 28 December 2022 directed the Cabinet Division to place a summary for the cabinet. The proposals pertaining to 10 APO houses in Islamabad on the directions of the prime minister are to be placed before the federal cabinet for approval in terms of section 28 and 29 read with section 4 (2) of the Abandoned Properties (Management) Act, 1975. One of the proposals said that in case any of the 10 houses administered by the APO in Islamabad, is allotted to a civil servant, the rental ceiling for hiring of the residential accommodation, notified from time to time, may be paid as rent of the said accommodation to the APO. Another proposal said the outstanding claims of the APO against the civil servants, based on the previously determined rent by the APO Board with the approval of the federal cabinet, may be settled against the entitlement of the rental ceiling of the said civil servants. The cabinet secretary may be allowed to ensure a transparent mechanism for allotment of these houses, which shall be made with the prior approval of the Incharge Minister of the Cabinet Division. The repair/ maintenance of the houses allotted to the civil servants may be carried out by the Capital Development Authority as is done in case of other government-owned accommodations, read the proposals further. The summary also asked the authorities concerned to take all the necessary administrative measures to vacate the houses which are presently under ‘illegal occupation.