Dispute with PML-N leaders led to suspension of PHA officials

ACE granted three-day physical remand of six officials of authority

RAWALPINDI: Differences between local leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and a director general of the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) apparently led to the latter’s suspension.

PHA Director General Dr Abid Malik and two other officials of the authority had recently been suspended and subsequently arrested after for alleged embezzlement in importing grass for a football field. The action was taken against them based on recommendations from an inquiry conducted by the Punjab Chief Minister’s special inspection team.

It has now emerged that the complaint on which an inquiry was launched against them based on complaints filed by PML-N MNA Hanif Abbasi and PHA chief and MNA Malik Abrar Ahmed.



Political sources and officials in PHA have told The Express Tribune said that both Abbasi and Ahmed had complained to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif over the purchase of substandard artificial grass for the two under-construction football grounds in the city.

A PML-N local leader said that after reports emerged that substandard artificial grass had been bought while the grass rolls had been carelessly dumped in the open, Abbasi approached Shahbaz.

On the former MNA’s complaint, the chief minister dispatched a special inspection team to the garrison city to investigate the allegations.

According to sources, Dr Malik along with PHA Director Aziz Ullah, Deputy Director Saqib Ellahi, Assistant Director Khalid Saeed Butt, sub-engineer Shakeel Ahmed, and private contractor Khawar Saeed was accused of purchasing substandard grass while paying for higher quality grass and embezzling Rs20 million.

PHA, responsible for taking care of public parks and play grounds, had been tasked to prepare two football grounds in the city. One was to be built at the under-construction Shahbaz Sharif Park on Rawal Road, while the other was to be built at the Government Degree College for Boys in Satellite Town.

A PHA official, while requesting anonymity, said that Abbasi had developed differences with the former director general on displaying PML-N banners on pillars of the Metro Bus track on Murree Road.

The official added that as per the rules, there was no provision for putting up any sort of advertisements on the pillars.

Subsequently, the provincial government suspended the implicated PHA officials.

After the CM’s special investigation team completed its probe, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Rawalpindi launched a criminal inquiry into the embezzlement and arrested six people on Thursday evening.

On Friday, the ACE investigators presented the suspects before a court and obtained three-days physical remand of the suspects to continue investigations. Abbasi, meanwhile, was not immediately available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2017.