K-P NAB to probe security companies

Inquiries also ordered against Peshawar Development Authority, EOBI officials

PESHAWAR: An accountability body in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Friday decided to launch inquiries against security companies in the province along with probes against officials of several government departments.

A Regional Board Meeting (RBM) of the K-P National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was held with Director General Farmanullah Khan in the chair. The meeting was attended by directors, case officers, senior legal consultants and other officers.

The board authorised an inquiry against Major (retd) Syed Khalid Shah, the chief security officer at the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).

Shah was illegally appointed and regularised as the chief security officer in PDA. Moreover, he was allegedly involved in corruption in the way car parks, toll plazas, encroachments, clinics are allotted.

The accused is alleged to have made 120 appointments of different scales in PDA in gross violation of the laws.

Another inquiry was authorised against security companies in K-P and officers of the Employees Old Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) for alleged corruption.

Allegedly, these companies, in connivance with officials of EOBI, had embezzled pension benefits of hundreds of private security guards dispensing services across the province.

The board also authorised an inquiry against officials of Town Municipal Administration (TMA) Dargai — Revenue Department and Haji Zafar Khan. Zafar had allegedly grabbed state-owned land worth Rs160 million near the Tehsil Nazim’s Office on main GT Road in Dargai in connivance with TMA Dargai employees.

Further, the board approved a reference against Ex-XEN PHED, FATA Division Kohat regarding misuse of authority and embezzlement of funds. The suspect allegedly procured substandard voltage stabilisers zers on exorbitant rates in complete violation of procurement rules causing huge loss to national exchequer.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2018.