ISLAMABAD: The Member Engineering of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Syed Nafasat Raza, has completed one year in office amid growing controversies over his appointment and performance.
A former Chief Engineer of the Punjab Communication and Works Department, Mr. Raza was appointed as Member Engineering CDA on a post-retirement contract in October 2024. The position, traditionally reserved for CDA’s own senior engineering cadre or deputed serving officers from other departments, was awarded to him by the federal government.
According to senior officials within the civic body, Raza’s year-long tenure has remained largely focused on high-visibility mega projects worth billions of rupees, while long-term development priorities such as sector development, infrastructure maintenance in developed areas, and water supply improvement have been neglected.
To his credit, Mr. Raza oversaw the swift completion of landmark projects including the Jinnah Square at Serena Chowk and the Recep Tayyab Erdogan Interchange on Jinnah Avenue. However, both projects have drawn criticism for alleged design flaws and construction lapses. The interchange, in particular, has faced technical issues, while the blockage of a water channel during construction caused severe water accumulation in the Diplomatic Enclave an incident that embarrassed both CDA and the federal government.
Documents reviewed by Infra News PK reveal that during his tenure, adherence to public procurement rules weakened considerably. Several development projects were reportedly initiated and executed without proper tendering procedures. In many instances, tenders were allegedly floated after the completion of work to “regularize” payments to preferred contractors.
This practice of post-dated tenders, according to insiders, became common under his watch with millions of rupees paid through what one official termed “mock tendering.” Projects such as the Business Facilitation Centre in Sector G-7, Gardenia Hub on Park Road, and Graveyard Boundary Wall were cited as examples of works carried out without lawful authority and later covered through backdated paperwork.
Officials warned that such post-dated tendering practices could attract inquiries from oversight bodies in the future, and may eventually turn into a major corruption scandal within the CDA if investigated thoroughly.
Moreover, industry observers allege that major infrastructure projects have been monopolized by two firms Habib Construction and MAAKSONS raising concerns about “pool bidding” and lack of fair competition.
One of the latest initiatives, a beautification project funded by the Government of Azerbaijan, has also drawn attention, as it is reportedly being executed without any formal tendering process. Sources claimed that MAAKSONS was assigned the work directly on the instructions of CDA’s senior management.
Infra News PK made multiple attempts to contact Syed Nafasat Raza for his comments on the allegations and his one-year performance, but he remained unavailable for response.
