NAB grills HED secretary over corruption charges

Seeks information on education-related initiatives

LAHORE: National Accountability Bureau Lahore (NAB) on Thursday grilled Higher Education Department (HED) Secretary Barrister Nabeel Awan in corruption cases linked to the ongoing investigation over the embezzlement at 56 companies formed by the outgoing Punjab chief minister.

He appeared before a combined investigations team (CIT) to answer NAB’s queries regarding the case. The CIT also handed him over a questionnaire to be filled. The team sought information from him about education-related initiatives that were a part of 56 companies such as Knowledge Park.

Meanwhile, NAB also summoned the board of directors of the Waste Management Company for investigations on the allegations of corruption. It has sent summons to ex-MPA Mehar Ishtiaq and asked him to appear on June 11, Nasir Javed on June 12, former Punjab health minister Khawaja Salman Rafique on June 13, Nadeem Babar on 19 and Khawaja Ahmad Hassan on June 20.



The Waste Management Company was one of the 56 companies in Punjab. NAB had started investigations into these after NAB Chairperson Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal ordered a thorough probe into these on complaints of corruption, irregularities, nepotism and inefficiency. Other important companies included Punjab Saaf Pani Company, Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company, Lahore Transport Company, Lahore Parking Company, Multan Cattle Market Management Company, Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Board and Waste Management Companies in various cities.

NAB has also summoned Punjab Planning and Development Chairperson Irfan Elahi in the Quaid-i-Azam Power Company corruption case. He was a member of the board of directors of the company. A summon sent to him read that NAB believed he possessed some information related to the offence of corruption committed in the company. Another member of the board, Ahad Khan Cheema, was already in jail after spending a physical remand of 90 days in the Ashina-e-Iqbal Housing Society Scam.

June is going to be a very busy month for the anti-graft watchdog as it has lined up a series of summons in the month. In Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Society scam, NAB has summoned the ex-secretary to Prime Minister of Pakistan Fawad Hassan Fawad on June 21. It has summoned former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on June 21 and Khawaja Salman Rafique on June 22 in Paragon Housing Society scam.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2018.