A building owned by ministry auctioned to minister’s partner

ISLAMABAD: A government building of gigantic size right in the heart of the federal capital has been auctioned to the business partner of a minister whose ministry owned this structure spanning over almost four Kanals of land, The News has confirmed from the minister who admitted to his relationship with the beneficiary.

The Ramna Building is located in the G-6 Markaz, which housed the Ministry of Religious Affairs until recently when it was shifted to newly-built Kohsar Complex, an extension of the Pak Secretariat. Once it fell vacant, the ministry decided to auction the Ramna Building, which is the asset of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). A branch of a bank on the building’s premises was also put on notice for vacation that it did. Instead of auctioning the entire building in one-go that could have attracted more revenue and a fat client, it was decided to auction floor by floor. By now, two floors were auctioned and both times the winner was Nouman Khan, the partner in all businesses owned by Noorul Haq Qadri, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. The ETPB is under the administration of the same ministry. As two top floors are next in the line for auction, they will hardly attract an applicant other than the one in the occupation of a ground floor and the basement, Nouman Khan. The auction already done have been manipulated as a competitor has lodged a complaint with the ministry that he was not allowed to participate in the bidding process despite fulfilling all the formalities.

The minister has a chain of Cash and Carry stores by the name of Gelani Mart having branches in Rawalpindi, Taxila, Wah, Abbottabad and Peshawar. His export and import business is run through a company, Gelani Trading. Nouman is a partner of the minister in all the above-mentioned businesses, by the minister’s own admission. Initially, he didn’t disclose this conflict of interest when contacted for version by The News. He said Nouman is from his native Khyber District. Asked what business he does, the minister said Nouman is into export and import business. When further pressed, he acknowledged that Nouman is his business partner. “We have a 70-30 partnership,” he said. The minister holds 70 percent share and Nouman has 30 percent. (In his nomination papers of 2018 elections, the minister declared Rs1.4 million income in 2017 from Gelani Mart and Rs400,779 from Gelani Trading). Asked how come Nouman won the bid of a building owned by the ministry run by his business partner, the minister said he was unaware of his participation in the bid. Once a floor was allotted to him, the minister continued, Nouman wanted to set up a branch of Gelani Mart there in Ramna Building. “I refused to permit,” he said. Finally, Nouman has opened the cash and carry store by the name of Islamabad Mart. “I don’t have any partnership in Islamabad Mart,” he said.

His store is situated on the floor that he won in the first auction which took place in June 2019. The next floor was auctioned on January 21 this year. Three applicants were allowed to participate in the bid other than Nouman. All of them came to the bidding place in the company of Nouman and in the same car. None of the three is into cash and carry business, The News has verified. Muhammad Azizullah, the one who has been into this business was not allowed to participate in the bid and tricked out of office instead.

In an application written to the Secretary Religious Affairs, Azizullah explained in detail how his bank draft was not accepted by the ministry’s officials who kept him shuttling around different sections for the purpose. He was later told that he would be called when the bidding was ready and the draft would be accepted by then. At noon, he was told that bidding had been taken place and Azizullah had lost without even participating. The winner happened to be the minister’s partner. When asked about it, the minister said he is not aware of the bidding and that another floor was allotted to his partner when he was abroad. He said he will look into the complaint.