PML-N MNA arrested in land grabbing case

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) of Punjab arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf in a land grabbing case on Tuesday, Express News reported.

Ashraf was elected a Member of National Assembly (MNA) from the Sahiwal-II constituency on the ruling PML-N’s ticket. ACE accused the lawmaker of illegally occupying over 157 acres of government land through forgery in collusion with revenue officer Muhammad Salim.

The agency further claimed that the provincial anticorruption department detained MNA Ashraf after the allegations were proved against him. According to sources, the accused concealed the ownership of his agricultural land by allotting it in the name of the accused, identified as Sharif Ahmed Hashmi.

In October, ACE arrested the Punjab Assembly’s former deputy speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari over charges of embezzling thousands of acres of government land.