Land purchase deal : NAB gives Rs72m back to DI Khan BISE

The amount was recovered during an inquiry into illegal purchase of land.

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chapter handed Rs72 million to the DI Khan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) on Tuesday in Peshawar.

The amount was recovered by NAB through voluntary return in a case of illegal purchase of land by former DI Khan BISE chairman Noor Muhammad. An inquiry against the former chairman over the misuse of authority and misappropriation of funds is currently under way.



According to a handout issued by NAB, Director General  (DG) Colonel (retd) Shahzad Anwar Bhatti handed the cheque of Rs72 million to DI Khan BISE Chairman  Fazal Rabi.

NAB had earlier received complaints from the provincial government against Noor Muhammad and other officials involved in corruption in the acquisition of land for offices of the DI Khan BISE. NAB DG Bhatti authorised Additional Director Ghazi Rahman to conduct an inquiry.

Noor had purchased 60 kanals of land directly from a private land owner in violation of the Land Acquisition Act 1984. “The land was purchased directly from owner Haroon Ghazanfar at a cost of Rs72 million which speaks mala fide intent on the part of ex-chairman and the landowner,” stated the handout.

Subsequently, in the course of the inquiry, the owner of the land Ghazanfar agreed voluntarily to return Rs72 million.

The inquiry team also visited the purchased land and found the location was too far from the city and close to a sugar mill making it an unsuitable place for BISE offices, added the handout.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2014.