National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry presiding over a meeting. PHOTO: APP
The country’s top anti-graft body has authorised inquiries and investigations against former federal and provincial ministers among others in a meeting of its executive board on Wednesday.
Presided by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, the meeting at the NAB headquarters sanctioned inquiries against Pir Mazharul Haq, Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, Muhammad Amin Umrani, Muhammad Ismail Gujjar and Dr Iftikhar Ahmed.
NAB forensic lab becomes operational
Sindh’s former education minister Haq and his ‘accomplices’ have been accused of making illegal appointments of 13,000 teachers in the education department, causing a loss of around Rs6 billion to the national exchequer.
The second inquiry has been authorised against former federal communications minister Dr Khan and former MNA Asma Alamgir on charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.
Balochistan’s former Excise & Taxation minister Umrani has also been accused of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income. Gujjar, chairman of the Quetta Development Authority and a former minister, has been accused of illegal transfer of government land.
NAB action in Punjab: PML-N leaders to bear brunt of investigations
The fifth inquiry was sanctioned against Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Chairman Dr Iftikhar Ahmed and others on charges of misuse of authority and embezzlement of funds.
The meeting also authorised verification of corruption complaints against Sindh Usher & Zakat Minister Dost Muhammad and Naushahro Feroze MPA Dr Abdul Sattar Rajper, and officers of the University of Punjab and Ministry of National Food Security & Research.
NAB also re-sanctioned inquiries against some retired officials of the Pakistan Air Force and Civil Aviation Authority for irregular procurement and award of contract through repeat order without tendering, causing losses of Rs2.6 billion to the national exchequer.
NAB arrests ex-chief engineer
The meeting also authorised investigations against former PEPCO MD Tahir Basharat Cheema and former GEPCO CEO Ibrahim Majoka, and officers of the Sindh Public Service Commission and others on charges of illegal appointments.
Meanwhile, NAB Rawalpindi has arrested Rana Ghulam Murtaza, former additional secretary of Senate Secretariat, on charges of corruption, cheating the public and misuse of authority.
Moreover, NAB Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has arrested Allauddin Khan, former chief engineer of the public health engineering department, on charges of misusing authority and causing losses worth Rs24 million to the exchequer.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2015.
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