A Senate committee has ordered authorities to take immediate action against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for its prolonged and unauthorized occupation of a government building in Lahore, a situation termed “unacceptable” by the panel’s chairman during a session on Thursday.

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, led by Senator Nasir Mehmood, expressed serious concern that NAB Courts have been using the Ministry of Housing and Works’ property since March 2021 without a valid rent agreement or any payments being made.

Despite the property’s formal transfer to the Ministry of Law and Justice, no rental contract has been signed. Chairman Mehmood directed officials to either recover the outstanding rent at official government rates or have the premises vacated without further delay, demanding a compliance report be submitted immediately.

The panel also voiced strong dissatisfaction over the sluggish progress of the Kuchlak Housing Project in Quetta. Officials revealed that the project, initiated in 2020 to construct 350 residential units, remains over 65% incomplete due to contractor-related hold-ups and administrative inefficiencies.

Committee members highlighted the significant hardships faced by allottees who have already paid substantial amounts for their homes. To expedite the project, the body suggested that continuing with the current subcontractor under revised terms could be more efficient than re-tendering. The committee is scheduled to conduct a physical inspection of the project site on November 15, 2025, to ensure accountability.

The plight of former Public Works Department (PWD) employees was another critical agenda item. The committee noted that following the department’s dissolution, many employees are facing delays in their induction into other departments, unpaid salaries, and pending retirement benefits, despite a Federal Cabinet decision to absorb them.

The Chairman instructed the Ministry of Housing and Works to resolve all pending inductions immediately, ensure the timely disbursement of salaries, and finalize a systematic pension mechanism for the affected staff.

Furthermore, the committee addressed the recovery of the 38-kanal Constantia Lodge property in Murree after its land file, which had gone missing, was located. Members condemned a recent illegal attempt to occupy the site and directed the immediate construction of a boundary wall and the development of a plan to utilize the land for public benefit.

The session concluded with a call for enhanced inter-agency coordination and strict implementation of Cabinet directives to prevent such administrative failures in the future.