Pakistan

PTI minister Ziaullah Afridi remanded into Ehtesab’s custody

Minister for mines and minerals says he is being punished for opposing K-P chief minister

Our Correspondent July 10, 2015

Express News screengrab

PESHAWAR: The Ehtesab Commission court granted a 13-day physical remand of Minister for Mines and Minerals Ziaullah Afridi to the commission on Friday.

Afridi has been accused of abusing the authority of his office, of posting and transferring officials without following protocols and of causing the exchequer losses worth billions of rupees.

The minister, who is from the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was arrested on Thursday by the commission. In a hand-out issued by Ehtesab the same day, Afridi was accused by the commission of misappropriation of funds which caused “losses worth billions of rupees” to the provincial exchequer.

Read: Embezzlement allegations: PTI minister, 10 officials arrested in mining fraud

On Friday, the prosecutor told the court that Afridi was not cooperating with the provincial accountability authority.

Afridi, however, had plenty to say about his arrest.

“It’s not the Ehtesab Commission but the Pervez Commission. I have been falsely accused but (as history shows us) even holy personalities were falsely persecuted so I will defend myself,” said the mines minister. “I was also punished for opposing Pervez Khattak for bringing Qaumi Watan Party back into the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government.”

Read: PTI minister arrested in K-P will have to resign: Imran

According to Afridi, he was being punished for filing cases against “Khattaks people in various mining-related cases. And for denying or stripping his people of licences.” In May, chromite mine owners had accused the CM’s relatives of trying to forcibly take over their mineral reserves.

On Thursday, the Ehtesab Commission picked up the minister and the National Accountability Bureau arrested 10 other current and former officials. Though the two bodies have separate jurisdictions, all those detained were said to be involved in corruption in the same department – mines and minerals.

The 10 arrested by NAB were granted judicial remand on Friday.

COMMENTS (7)

Liaquat Ali Malik | 9 years ago | Reply I think its excellent step to finish corruption from this country and can put on track of development. We have every thing bun needs sincere and clean leader and its the responsibility of People.We must think more then 100 time before polling vote that this person will play his roe in development or destruction of the country.

ziaurrehman | 9 years ago | Reply @imran: It's Ehtasaab cell KPK that deals with corruption. If u or anyone has got any sort of evidence against CM, he/she can take it to the cell.

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imran | 9 years ago | Reply Ok this one case got unearthed, what about the rampant corruption by other ministers and the KPK chief minister himself. Who is going to bail them? After all, all the trash came from the "corrupt" parties. And we are learning that old habits die hard.

Jibran | 9 years ago | Reply PTI has developed a habit that they don't fire ministers who develop difference with the local leadership. They implicate them in cases, and then strong arm them into leaving the position.

Naeem Khan | 9 years ago | Reply I am glad some one is doing their job honestly. These people should be sent to jail with heavy fines if found guilty in the court of law. Perhaps other provinces follow this precedence.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply The fact that he was a sitting minster in the PTI government ....... reflects poorly on the PTI and its lofty claims.

Layman | 9 years ago | Reply In the history of Pakistan there has never been a case like this, this is what our country needs, we have PM, CM and hundreds of corrupt ministers in the past but none of them got arrested for taking Pakistan to the height of corruption, Now PML N trolls and there government is in fear because they can not follow the same so they are trying to make it controversial and trying to take credit away from KPK government, unfortunately our media also not highlighting it as a big achievement, they should do it just for the sake of good for this country..

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