Senators on Friday expressed concern over the alleged corruption in housing scheme launched by Intelligence Bureau, with Senator Hidayatullah reminding the civilian intelligence agency that "its job is to provide security to the people, not run housing societies."

Presided over by Senator Kulsoom Parveen's, the Senate's sub-committee on Cabinet Secretariat was reviewing housing societies established in Islamabad. During the meeting, the IB came under intense criticism from Senator Hidayatullah for alleged malpractice in the Intelligence Bureau Employees Cooperative Housing Society it has formed in Gulberg.

"Corruption is becoming a common occurrence in the IB's housing society," the senator said. "Dues are being collected without any notices sent to the public, while those who have made full payments have still not been given possession of their plots. People are being charged extra amount under the garb of excuses."

The committee asked the housing society's management to appear in its next meeting and along with the documented details of the project.

"Any department operating above the law would not be tolerated in any case," Senator Parveen asserted.

The committee recommended that whoever is found guilty of corruption should be barred from contesting internal elections of their housing societies.

The committee took notice after reports appeared of corruption worth billions of rupees in some housing societies in the federal capital.

"Audits of six Islamabad-based housing societies were conducted, during which corruption worth Rs12 billion was highlighted," said Mohammad Ali said, an administrative official of the capital territory.

"There was Rs7.5 billion worth of corruption in Federal Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Rs2.56 billion in Soan Garden Housing Society, Rs1.7 billion in Jammu Kashmir and Rs320 million in Senate Cooperative Housing Society and Rs200 million in Garden Cooperative Society," the committee was briefed.