Misappropriation: Ex-director PDA, private contractor granted bail

Release order issued on condition of Rs5 million surety bonds

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has ordered the release of the former director of Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) Ijaz Afzal Khan and a private contractor Raz Muhammad Durrani on bail.

Khan and Durrani had been arrested in a corruption case involving the sale of land in Hayatabad.

The release order was issued by Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain. It was issued on the condition that the accused will furnish surety bonds of Rs5 million each.

Counsel’s argument

Amir Javed, counsel for the ex-director of PDA, informed the court his client was accused of leasing five kanals of land in Hayatabad for 33 years at a price lower than the going market rate. As a result, the national exchequer was said to have experienced losses worth Rs7.5 million.

The counsel added one kanal of land was sold for the construction of Iqra University at the cost of Rs8 million. Five kanals was leased out for 33 years for Rs2.5 million.

According to Javed, the land was sold according to legal procedure and an ad was published in newspapers. While there were other people in the allotment committee, he said, the ex-director of PDA is the only person who has been booked in the case.

The verdict

After hearing the counsel’s arguments, the court ordered the release of Ijaz Afzal Khan and Raz Muhammad Durrani.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa arrested Ijaz Afzal and Raz Muhammad Durrani on June 19. The two were charged for violating rules and formalities and giving away a five kanal plot at a nominal price for 33 years with the provision of an extension.

According to a press release issued after their arrest, an enquiry against the PDA officials and others revealed the five kanal land had been allotted to Raz Muhammad through a non-transparent bidding process.

Moreover, Ijaz Afzal Khan—who had acted as a member and secretary of the committee to evaluate technical and financial proposals of bidders—had violated the rules and illegally awarded the contract. The ex-director of PDA was responsible for scrutinising bid documents and failed to ensure transparency in the process.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2014.