ISLAMABAD: Days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a high-level Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe a land-grabbing case in the federal capital involving more than 136 kanals of land allegedly fraudulently transferred from a distinguished former civil servant, the Pakistan Navy has yet to nominate its representative to the probe.
Meanwhile, the complainant has sought a personal audience with the Naval Chief and in response he has been invited for a meeting with Deputy Naval Chief.
Dr Musharraf Rasool Cyan — a former top-ranked Pakistan Administrative Service officer who secured a record 1,084 marks in the CSS exam in 1990 -- has written to Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, seeking a meeting to personally brief him about the alleged fraud in which land belonging to his family was transferred to the Pakistan Navy Benevolent Association (PNBA) without his consent. The development follows the government’s constitution of a JIT — comprising representatives from the Islamabad administration, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Navy — to investigate the case and “fix responsibility” for the illegal transfer. Officials say while other institutions have nominated their members, the Pakistan Navy has so far not joined the investigation team.
In his letter to the Naval Chief, dated September 18, 2025, Dr Cyan reiterated that the matter concerns his ancestral property, “Cyan Farms,” located in Moza Mera Begwal near the Naval Farms housing project run by PNBA. He wrote: “Pakistan Navy is among the sacred state institutions of Pakistan that are our key national assets. Any fraudulent actions of the land mafia that are likely to ultimately tarnish the image and prestige of the institution of Pakistan Navy in particular and the valiant Armed Forces of Pakistan in general are extremely disturbing to me, and I would endeavour my best to curtail such attempts.”
He requested a personal meeting with Admiral Naveed Ashraf to apprise him of the facts of the matter and to ensure that the image of the armed forces is not tainted by the actions of land grabbers.
Dr Cyan has already submitted a detailed petition to the prime minister, alleging that while he was abroad on a UN assignment, a forged power of attorney — purportedly executed in favour of one of his farm workers — was used to sell his land to PNBA at a grossly undervalued price. He maintains that he never consented to the sale, received no payment, and that serious irregularities were committed in the mutation process, including bypassing biometric verification, accepting forged documents, and ignoring legal requirements for public mutation proceedings. The petition also suggests that PNBA itself may have been defrauded. According to Dr Cyan, revenue records show a sale price of Rs218 million, whereas reported payments total Rs383 million — both figures far below the estimated market value of over Rs900 million.
Pak Navy media wing was approached on Wednesday to know the reason for not joining the JIT as yet. The News was told it will be informed on this after consulting the Jag branch. However, nothing was heard from the official concerned till the filing of the report on Thursday evening. He was also reminded via WhatsApp message even on Thursday.
