According to the documents available with this correspondent, the management committee, which once operated with the aim of serving Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) employees, was infiltrated by individuals from the real estate sector who exploited their positions for personal gains. Among them, real estate agents and other external parties indulged in embezzlement and illegal land acquisitions of hundreds of kanals of land for an unapproved extension of the society.

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD, DEC 15 /DNA/ – A mega scandal has come to light involving financial irregularities, illegal land acquisitions and embezzlement within the Foreign Office Employees Cooperative Housing Society (FOECHS).

The society, originally established in the early 1980s to provide affordable housing for employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), has been marred by corruption, mismanagement, and abuse of power, particularly under the previous management committee, which was largely taken over by the property dealers.

The FOECHS, which was originally reserved for MOFA employees, opened its membership to the general public in January 2012. This decision, however, resulted in a major crisis.

According to the documents available with this correspondent, the management committee, which once operated with the aim of serving Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) employees, was infiltrated by individuals from the real estate sector who exploited their positions for personal gains. Among them, real estate agents and other external parties indulged in embezzlement and illegal land acquisitions of hundreds of kanals of land for an unapproved extension of the society.  The documents reveal that despite a clear rejection of the extension proposal by the President of the society in August 2022, the former management committee proceeded with the expansion, acquiring land without approval from the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The additional land was later sold as residential plots in the market, generating substantial illicit profits for the perpetrators.

The society’s former management committee also engaged in a series of unethical practices, including awarding contracts to favoured contractors at inflated rates for personal kickbacks. These actions led to significant financial losses for the society. As a result, much-needed projects, such as road construction and maintenance of essential infrastructure were left incomplete or neglected. A road that was previously in good condition was even scrapped and replaced with low-quality material, causing inconvenience to residents.

Further exacerbating the situation, the boundary wall of various blocks in the society, including Blocks A, B, C, and D, were dismantled and removed in recent months without any prior notice. This left the residents vulnerable to security breaches.

Members or residents of FOECHS perturbed over the situation told this correspondent that despite the dissolution of the previous management committee in November 2023, former members are still involved in meetings with government officials, attempting to influence the upcoming elections for the new committee. This ongoing interference has raised questions about the fairness of the election process and the possibility of continued corruption under a new management. The members of the society have also raised the issues of irregularities and embezzlement at different forums and have also called for an external audit to assess the extent of the financial losses caused by the previous members of management committee.

In light of these serious allegations, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched an inquiry into the irregularities within FOECHS. Notices have been issued to several key members of the previous management committee, including Khalid Hussain Memon, the former President; Israr Hussain, the former Vice President; Hashim Kiyani, the former Secretary; Faheem Khan, the former Treasury Member; and Khalid Bashir Tabassum, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ishtiaq, Imtiaz Aziz and Irshad Ahmad, all of whom were members of the committee during its tenure. These individuals are under investigation for their alleged involvement in fraudulent activities.

The society members demand that the FOECHS be restored to its original purpose of providing affordable housing to MOFA employees without the interference of unscrupulous outsiders, and those involved in fraudulent activities are taken to task as per the law.