Revenue official arrested for allegedly taking bribe

Hassanabdal administration seizes truckload of goods during anti-encroachment drive

HASANABDAL:

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) in a raid arrested an official of the revenue department Pindigheab for allegedly taking a bribe from an applicant.

According to ACE sources, Muhammad Yousaf, a resident of Maira Sharif informed ACE Punjab’s Attock district office that he approached a revenue official (patwari) named Chaudhry Saeed for mutation of sale of inheritance land but he demanded illegal gratification of Rs22,000.

The official sources said that deputy director ACE Amjad Shahzad along with circle in charge Sana Ullah flanked with civil judge Pindigheb Asim Kareem conducted a raid and arrested the patwari red-handed for taking the bribe and recovered the amount from him.

A case was registered against the arrested official under section 5/2/47 Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) at anti-corruption police station Attock.

Meanwhile, the Hassanabdal administration and the NHA conducted an operation against encroachments and removed them from the main bus stand and GT Road.

The wheelbarrow market at Lari Ada Hassanabdal was also combed during operation. The administration also seized trucks of load goods.

Assistant Commissioner Ishtiaqullah Khan said that encroachments will not be allowed to pop up again.

The wheelbarrow owners told the media that “they work all day to earn a living for their children. They were also prepared to pay taxes if the administration provides us with a suitable alternative location”.

The management of private hotels showed resistance to the anti-encroachment drive.

The hotel owners said that operating without notice was a gross abuse of power. The owners said that “If the operation is to be carried out, then it should be done without any discrimination. Targeting certain people in the name of the operation is not acceptable in any case”.

3Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2022.