Web desk: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has withdrawn its order to auction the Mall of Islamabad. The auction was scheduled to take place on September 3, but the FBR informed the Islamabad High Court that it has been stopped. Earlier in June, the auction was also postponed.
The Mall of Islamabad is a project of Bahria Town, which owes Rs24 billion in taxes. However, property tycoon Malik Riaz had offered on social media to pay the tax amount.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused Malik Riaz of fraud and illegal land grabbing. According to NAB, he occupied land unlawfully, established housing societies on it, and deceived people.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) also took action against Malik Riaz, which led to £190 million being transferred to Pakistan’s national treasury.
Previously, in June, a similar attempt to auction the property was postponed after Bahria Town challenged the move in court.
The dispute stems from more than Rs24 billion in unpaid taxes, which FBR says are owed by the property developer Malik Riaz. The auction notice was first published in May, and the sale was due to take place the following month.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Justices Khadim Hussain Soomro and Muhammad Asif were informed by FBR Deputy Commissioner Sohail Abbas that the order had been taken back. Officials explained that they would first verify the allotments of existing buyers before considering further steps.
The Mall of Islamabad is a prominent commercial tower located in the Blue Area of the capital.
The project belongs to Bahria Town, owned by Malik Riaz, who recently posted on social media offering to clear all his pending tax dues. The building itself has already been completed, with shops and apartments handed over to investors.
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