Defence Housing Authorities
Gen Pervez Musharraf recently inaugurated Pakistan’s first power cum desalination plant in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi. A full 15 years ago a similar co-generation project was proposed for DHA Karachi with electricity and water offered at far lesser prices, Rs 36 per thousand gallons compared to the Rs 100 proposed now. However even an enthusiastic PM with as strong a personality as Ms Benazir could not overcome a myopic personal jealousy. If the “desal scheme” had come into fruition in 1994 it would have been a real economic force-multiplier to the beleaguered anarchy-ridden city of Karachi. Because of the present DHA Project Karachi will have an additional source of electricity and drinking water to cope with any city-wide electricity and/or water shortage emergency. It will also mean that many more “housing starts” in DHA Karachi, a tremendous economic force-multiplier boon having implications far beyond Karachi.
Gen Pervez Musharraf recently took direct aim at DHAs’ detractors, saying this criticism by “pseudo-intellectuals” was not based on facts. He said if the price of allotted plots had risen dramatically, it was because of the efficient, organized functioning of the DHAs. DHA Karachi’s working capital comes from the sales of plots of land and the development charges imposed on the members, all of them from the Armed Forces, serving and retired, this gives much needed funds to make roads and provide good water and sewerage facilities. The balloting for the plots is transparent and the revenues generated thereof is honestly and purposefully managed and utilized, DHA Karachi acquired a far better reputation than counterpart/comparable civilian societies, where management was (and is) far less organized. In the 60s and through to the 80s, the price of plots of land in the other big societies remained almost at par, the facilities offered being more or less comparable.
Made in the late 70s DHA’s Seaview flats, was the first major housing scheme of the nature for Armed Forces Officers. The balloting for the housing scheme was done on a fair and equitable basis. However instead of putting all the flats into the ballot as it should have been done, Lt Gen Jahanzeb Arbab, then Comd 5 Corps, kept 20% ( ?? ) of the flats reserved for allotment as per his discretion, this intercession of “discretion” was the first by any Corps Comd in real-estate issues. Even though subsequent Comds 5 Corps did not exercise their discretion in the same manner, an extremely bad precedent had been set. Through the early 80s DHA Karachi performed as well as other societies and in 1989, Brig (later Maj Gen) Hedayatullah Khan Niazi, SJ of the Corps of Engineers and Army Aviation, was appointed as Administrator DHA Karachi. Lt Gen (later Gen and COAS) Asif Nawaz Comd 5 Corps as the President of the Governing Body. Because of the solid silent support of Gen Asif Nawaz, who did not interfere otherwise in any manner, Niazi took DHA by the scruff of the neck and propelled it into the future. While DHA had a couple of good schools and a club, he put in motion a massive increase in educational and recreational facilities by using unused space. Under the high tension wires in Phase Four he made another club (now Sunset Club) as well as a few marriage lawns. Improvised and unauthorized garbage dumps had been created adjacent to the creek next to Phase 8 by the dumping by the city’s garbage collectors, with the land thus reclaimed he planned and constructed the (1) Creek Club (2) Marina Club and (3) the Golf Course, today there are thousands of aspirants for membership in the waiting line, the membership fees cost several lacs of rupees. While the planned ice skating rank did not come into being he encouraged the launching of a bowling alley by private investors, DHA also constructed three restaurants on the Beach, giving it out on rent/lease to the private sector. In the early 90s Karachi was in the throes of a terrible law and order crisis with dacoities and kidnappings of the wealthy elite rampant. DHA put in a “Householder Security Scheme” with the nominal charges of an average Rs 200 pm per housing unit, even though this scheme had to be wound up in nine months because of Govt policies, dacoities and kidnappings came down from 27 to almost zero. In a city beset with political strife and crime, DHA Karachi became a haven for peace and tranquility with affordable socio-economic facilities as well as available utilities. Obviously prices of both residential and commercial plots rose dramatically in DHA Karachi, this commercial reputation had a commensurate effect on DHA Lahore.
Gen Pervez Musharraf is right when he states that if the prices of plots in the DHAs have risen mainly because of the organizational efficiently and superior management, why should we deny the owner of the plot, in this case a Serviceman or an ex-servicemen, the additional profits he may make on the sale of a plot? The problem arises because of the “files” being allocated in lieu of plots in DHA Phases which have yet to be developed. While some people made windfall profits by speculating in land adjacent to DHA Lahore that subsequently became a new “Phase”, that is still a legitimate commercial transaction, the creation of the “files” and speculation thereof is not, it is patently illegal. This amounts to creating a land “stock market” that has contributed to exorbitant inflation of real estate prices. There is too much smoke around for there not being a fire, Gen Pervez Musharraf is too much a perceptive individual not to know that the failure to bring the concerned person to task. If his subordinates down the line do not tell him about this major failure of accountability because of loyalty to his person, this “discipline” is misplaced.
When “Creek City” was announced by DHA Karachi for all comers, the balloting should have been limited to serving and retired personnel of the Armed Forces. By allowing civilians to participate, land speculators and real-estate cartels got into the act, is this why DHA was created? The “Creek City” may be a wonderful project, for what “consideration” was the mandate of the land given by the Govt on lease to the Defence Services undercut? Projects on DHA land cannot be sold directly to civilians, it is illegal. An accountability question here also needs to be answered. With all due respects to Gen Pervez Musharraf’s strong loyalty to his comrades, this “daylight robbery” is at the cost of the reputation of thousands of servicemen and a ex-servicemen, and more importantly at the cost of the pristine reputation of the Army! Is it worth it?
In 1990, a proposal for the President of the Governing Body DHA Karachi and the Administrator to be given a residential plot each at nominal rates was refused by both Lt Gen Asif Nawaz and Maj Gen HUK Niazi. This refusal was repeated again when Lt Gen Asif Bangash became the President. If people are critical about DHA, it does not stem from any jealousy of the DHA’s obvious attributes but the “favourable” allotment (and immediate sale thereof) of residential and commercial plots to very senior officers in excess of their legitimate right. Why were DHAs’ laws suitably amended to accommodate this? And who was the person who amended the laws “favourably”? And another silly question, did that person personally benefit from it? This will certainly be the subject of accountability by some regime in the future. Gen Pervez Musharraf misses the point when he assails DHAs’ critics, the common Pakistani does not deny the hard working soldier (and gentlemen) his rightful due of a roof over his head in the “Army Housing Scheme” and an additional plot of land in some DHA Scheme. Why should more than 99% of a hard working, honest and highly professional cadre like the Pakistan Army take the hit in public perception for the avarice and greed of a handful?
I am very, very proud of the DHAs and I love living in DHA Karachi. DHAs afford a clean, respectable, secure environment for our children to grow up in, providing for both education and leisure, the result of good planning and management. However one can not be proud of what has been done to the reputation of this Army needlessly, albeit some at the hands of Gen Musharraf’s so-called “pseudo-intellectuals”.
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