The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has expressed skepticism about the recently constructed building of US embassy in the capital city. The seven storied building is being built in Islamabad’s Diplomatic Enclave area which is an ideal location to keep track of government offices located nearby.
AGP office released an audit report recently revealing that the construction of the embassy has been initiated without an NOC from the Capital Development Authority (CDA). Earlier, the NOC had been pending at CDA’s end in order to get an approval from the Prime Minister. Since CDA has the authority to approve only up to 5 storied buildings in the said area.
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Conversely, the US government paid no head to the PM’s pending approval and initiated its construction work. According to the audit report:
“Despite pending approval by the prime minister, construction had started”
Back in 2011, a CDA official confirmed that the authorities had already approved a plan to construct a new embassy building. In addition, the audit report claims that the security agencies had warned CDA chairman during 2012 about the possible construction of a seven storied building. The agencies sent a letter which stated “would overtake most of the ministries and other official buildings along the Constitution Avenue”.
The audit report also highlighted:
“In all probabilities, [the] rooftop of the building will be utilized to install surveillance devices that could be used to monitor government offices in the vicinity”
The report also admits that the building was constructed due to lack of adequate supervision by the authorities. It clarified that although AGP sent persistent requests but a department accounts committee meeting was not arranged.
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AGP suggests high-level inquiry
The report strongly suggests that a high-level inquiry should be initiated regarding the construction of the building. Furthermore, corrective action should be taken accordingly.
It is important to observe that the design of the building was already approved by a comprehensive committee in January 2012. It comprised of officials from CDA, Planning, Emergency and Disaster Management, and some representatives from Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners. Interestingly, not a single party raised any concern back then.
After constant pressure from the security agencies, CDA officials have put an upper limit on the height of the buildings in the diplomatic enclave.
According to another report:
“The intelligence agency asked CDA to explain how it could approve a seven-story structure in the Diplomatic Enclave. In addition, they also urged the CDA to take appropriate action”
