Obstructing public servants: Case ordered against MPA

GUJRANWALA: A district and sessions judge ordered the city police on Saturday to register a case against a sitting member of the Punjab assembly for obstructing public officials in discharge of their duties. Judge Muhammad Rasheed issued the order following Executive Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department Abdul Majeed’s statement against MPA Mumtaz Ahmed Hashmi. Majeed said tenders for 16 projects were not issued on Saturday because the MPA had wanted him to bypass the due process and give project contracts to particular contractors. He said the postponement was meant to ensure that tenders were issued through a transparent process.XEN Majeed was summoned by the court in contractor Muhammad Muzammil’s petition. Muzammil, a resident of Wapda Town, had accused the department of favouritism. He had said tenders were delayed so that contracts could be awarded to contractors already chosen by the department. The judge directed the Gujranwala city police officer to initiate a probe against the MPA and prosecute him under Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Talking to The Express Tribune, MPA Hashmi rejected the allegations as baseless. He said he had never been to the XEN’s office.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2012.