RAWALPINDI, September 17 — A special inspection team constituted by Cantonment Executive Officer Amir Rashid has uncovered large-scale illegal construction and building code violations across a hundred commercial building files in the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board’s Building Control Department, leading to the suspension of four building inspectors and the dismissal of a fifth. The team — Senior Draftsman Raja Ishrat, Super Checker Nasir Yousaf, and Draftsmen Yasir Arafat and Mannan Ahmed — found commercial properties with parking violations, constructions without required setbacks, and breaches of approved building plans.
In some instances, commercial buildings had been completed before their plans were approved by the Cantonment Board office at all. Others went up entirely without building plans, in what the investigation describes as extensive violations of Cantonment Board building codes.
The relevant building inspectors, it would seem, remained deliberately silent while all this proceeded. The Board lost millions of rupees in uncollected fees tied to building plan approvals — an exact figure has not been disclosed.
Five inspectors removed
Four inspectors were suspended for corruption and corrupt practices: Bilal Gujjar of Ward 9, Bilal Raza of Ward 8, Bilal Ahmed of Ward 5, and Imran Bhatti of Ward 10. A fifth, Muhammad Sadaqat, was dismissed from service. The investigation also found that the Land Branch had been assisting field staff in connection with the illegal commercial constructions.
Notably, the inquiry heard that after a composition fee was fixed, the relevant file was allegedly kept pending while the construction was completed. All staff of the Land Branch have been posted there for a long period, and their alleged collusion with Building Control field staff came to light during the investigation.
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board is one of Pakistan’s oldest cantonment boards, established during the British colonial era. Its Building Control Department is responsible for approving building plans and enforcing building codes within its jurisdiction.
Zero tolerance, and a wider sweep
Rashid has enforced what the Board describes as a zero-tolerance policy against illegal constructions. The CEO’s special inspection team has been directed to continue its work, examining commercial constructions in all ten wards of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board in accordance with building bylaws and building codes, and reporting violations to the competent authority. The scandal surfaced after the CEO received complaints regarding illegal commercial constructions, violations of building plans, and constructions carried out without approved building plans in different wards of the cantonment.
The Board has not publicly commented on the specific allegations against the suspended and dismissed inspectors. Nor has the outcome of any potential criminal proceedings or further disciplinary actions been announced.
The case has drawn attention to the broader issue of illegal commercial construction in Pakistan’s cantonment areas, where building bylaws are often circumvented through corruption and lax enforcement. The suspensions and dismissal mark a significant enforcement action against corruption in the Building Control Department, though the full extent of the alleged collusion between the Land Branch and field staff remains under investigation. What to watch next is the inspection team’s continued examination of commercial construction files across all ten wards.
That work will determine the full scope of the violations and may lead to further suspensions or dismissals.
