ISLAMABAD  -  The Capital Development Authority’s move to start mega projects with the help of the private sector has become ‘controversial’ in the very beginning as it has appointed a contract employee Shareef Hussain as first director of the Public Private Partnership and Joint Venture Directorate.

The directorate is supposed to execute multi-billion rupees deals that need transparency and accountability but instead of appointing a regular officer, the incumbent management opted for a contract employee for the job, which raises eyebrows of the concerned circles. According to sources, the Human Resource Directorate has avoided to issue appointment orders of said officer and asked Member Planning and Design CDA Dr. Khalid Hafeez to appoint a suitable officer over the position at his own, who in a rare move has given approval to appoint said contract employee on such an important position where decisions worth billions of rupees would be taken.

The said officer Sharif Hussain was appointed in civic authority last year on contract basis as Director Planning in Project Pay Scale-9 in Geo-Spatial Technology Wing Project, which expired on 30th June 2024. Sources informed that Mr. Hussain has no specific background of dealing projects in PPP and his appointment is highly questionable. “He is not only appointed against a regular post but his name was also forwarded for a training by misrepresenting his status as BPS-19 employee instead of PPS-9 employee, which needs to be investigated as well,” a well placed source maintained.

When contacted, Director Public Relations CDA Shahid Kiani has informed that as the federal government has put a ban on appointments that’s why Mr. Hussain is appointed as director PPP. However, when asked to share the credential and past experience on which the said officer is appointed on such a highly sensitive position, he has promised to respond back but he remained unavailable till filling of this report.  

The said directorate was established to execute mega development projects in collaboration with private sector and recently CDA had agreed to execute a project on its land in Zone IV under a joint venture with defence housing authority over a land measuring 10,000 kanals.

The execution of public-private partnership projects for the Capital Development Authority was not possible till the recent past but now the government has amended its act and allowed joint ventures.

CDA wants to execute several new projects under public-private partnership including Jinnah Medical Complex, slaughter house, Gandhara Citizens Club and several new hotels and cricket grounds.

The incumbent chairman Muhammad Ali Randawa has carried out multiple meetings with the representatives of the Public Private Partnership Authority (P3A) and shough their help in this regard.

However, concerned circles believe that the process to handover CDA’s assets to private parties should be made transparent and accountable and regular officers with a high moral reputation should be appointed in the relevant formations instead of temporary employees.