Reined in: Police restrained from arresting ACE director

The bench also restrained the government from arresting the petitioners

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court restrained the police from arresting Anti-Corruption Establishment former director Ziaullah Toru and issued notices to the chief secretary as well as the Kohat Division DIG and DPO. It sought replies from these officials.

The division bench of Justices Nisar Hussain and Syed Afsar Shah, while hearing a writ petition on Wednesday. The petition was filed by Toru and others through their lawyer Malik Ammad Azam. The bench was told the petitioners served at various positions at ACE.

Azam argued the petitioners’ initiated an enquiry on various development projects and recovered millions in embezzled money from contractors. The amount was subsequently deposited to the national exchequer.

He said the contractors, including Taqqi Ghulam and Alamzeb, filed a complaint with the chief secretary and the latter ordered the Kohat DPO to register an FIR against the petitioners.

“Following the chief secretary’s orders, the DPO ordered the registration of an FIR at Kohat City police station, accusing the petitioners of recovering the money illegally,” he said

The lawyer said the FIR was registered with mala fide intentions, explaining the chief secretary removed Toru as director from the establishment after the latter started an enquiry in the Billion Tree Tsunami project. The counsel claimed the case allegedly involved the chief secretary’s relatives.

The bench, after hearing the arguments, issued notices to the respondents and sought replies. It also restrained the government from arresting the petitioners.

Over upgradation

The same bench issued notices to the provincial government and secretaries of the establishment and finance departments for failing to promote a grade-18 office of the Planning and Development department for 30 years.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2016.