Mines and minerals: EC’s reply sought in case against former secretary

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission and sought a reply from it after former K-P secretary for mines and minerals requested the court to restrain the accountability body from arresting him.

The bench comprising justices Irshad Qaiser and Roohul Amin was hearing a writ petition filed by former secretary for mines and minerals Mian Waheeduddin through his lawyer Muazzam Butt on Friday. Butt said the commission filed two different references at the Ehtesab Court against the petitioner. One was for allegedly misusing his authority and the other for the illegal digging of mines.



The counsel said the petitioner learned that an enquiry had been entrusted to Sahibzada Behram Khan who did not have experience in conducting investigations.

Calling the references illegal, he argued the petitioner was not given the chance to clarify his position during the course of the enquiry as the investigation officer was not an expert. “The enquiries in both references were conducted by officials who were neither appointed as investigation officers nor was he qualified,” he said. “As such, they should be declared illegal and void.” He claimed there were mala fide intentions to implicate his client as was evident from the investigation and filing of references.

He argued the former secretary was not satisfied with the report. Raising some legal points, Butt argued that in light of the amendments made to the K-P Ehtesab Commission Act 2014, the authority was bound to file a reference within 20 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2016.