NAB okays inquiries against Khursheed Shah, Mehtab Abbasi

Executive board meeting approves nine probes; four investigations closed for absence of evidence

ISLAMABAD: An executive board meeting of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday authorised nine inquiries against various personalities, including two senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and others.

The inquiries have been authorised against National Assembly member (MNA) Syed Khursheed Shah of the PPP and Sardar Mehtab Abbasi of the PML-N, besides Khalid Sherdil. The meeting also authorised four investigations against various departments.

Chaired by NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, the executive board ordered for closing some of inquiries, because of absence of evidence. Iqbal told the meeting that NAB would take the cases to their logical conclusion on the basis of law.

"NAB is utilising all available resources to punish the corrupt elements and proclaimed offenders," the NAB chairman said, adding that the country's premier graft buster would take the white-collar crimes to logical conclusion.

The executive board meeting at the bureau's headquarters in the federal capital was also attended by NAB prosecutor general; director general accountability; director general operations, Rawalpindi; and other senior officials.

The meeting approved filing of corruption reference against Ikramullah Shah, former executive engineer (XEN), Tesco, Fata Circle, Peshawar for causing Rs49.07 million losses to the national exchequer by granting illegal power connections to various steel mills by misusing his authority.

The nine inquiries were approved against Syed Khursheed Shah (MNA), Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and others; Khalid Sherdil, former industries secretary of Punjab; Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Forest Sub Division, Mangora, and others; officers and officials of Auqaf Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and others; management of Education Department Quetta; officers and officials of Provincial Highway Development Division, Khairpur; Munawwar Nazir Abbasi, former chief executive officer, Sukkur Electric Power Construction Company and others; Public Health Division Punjab and the Punjab Highway Department.

The meeting authorised four investigations against the management of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL); officials of the Privatisation Commission and the Trust Investment Bank; officials and officers of the ministry of information and broadcasting and others; and officials of the Galiyat Development Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and others.

The board approved to send inquiry against officials and officers of the finance department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwat to the provincial chief secretary for special audit. It approved transferring inquiry against Prof Dr Muhammad Noor Wazir, Principal, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, and others to relevant university.

It also shifted the inquiry against the officers and officials of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar and others; Farooq Bazai Vice Chancellor, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences and other to the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Inquiry against officers, officials of the Gilyat Development Authority was sent to the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; inquiry against Dr Allah Ditta Raza Chaudhry was shifted to GC University, Lahore for special audit: inquiries against management and officials and others of the Capital Market Management Company, Rawalpindi and management, officials and officers of the Capital Market Management Company, Gujranwala, to the Local Government Department Punjab. The meeting okayed shifting of inquiries against Dr Rashad Bajwa, chief executive officer, NRCP, Dera Ghazi Khan and Asghar Ali Jawad, General Manager, Operations, and others to the State Bank of Pakistan.

Inquiries against Syed Tanveerul Hassan Gillani, former federal minister and President Anjuman Islamia and others; Iftikhar Gillani, MNA; Akbar Shah Rasheedi, chief engineer, foreign aid works and service department Hayatabad and others; Dr Shahid Mehboob, former vice chancellor GC University, Faisalabad and others; chief engineer, irrigation department, Bahawalpur; secretary railways, Punjab track, Lahore, and others; Afzal Bhatti, Commissioner, Overseas Pakistanis Commission, Punjab, and others; Multan, Sukkur INGOs, NGOs, SDPI, Fafen, FAO; management and others of the Rural Support Programme and Fazal Sheikh, Director Finance Quest and others were closed down due to absence of evidence.