ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The government will compensate people affected by irregularities in the One Constitution Avenue project, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Iqbal said the federal cabinet had approved a committee report investigating alleged fraud in the project.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed the committee to examine the matter and that its report also recommended changing the project's name.
According to Iqbal, the name One Constitution Avenue had itself allegedly been obtained through fraudulent means.
The minister said rules and regulations had been ignored during the project's development and that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had also failed to perform its responsibilities properly.
He added that the government would ensure all legal requirements were fulfilled. He also pointed out that the first building on Constitution Avenue belonged to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said people had suffered financial losses because of alleged facilitation and wrongdoing. He added that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had been given three months to prepare a reference in the case.
"Those who were defrauded are not at fault," Chaudhry said.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the joint investigation team (JIT) had recommended referring the matter to NAB for further investigation. He said the accountability bureau would examine the case on merit.