NAB arrests former minister Murid Kazim, others

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday arrested the former provincial minister for revenue Syed Murid Kazim along with three officials for their alleged involvement in illegal transfer of valuable state land measuring 1,976 kanal in Dera Ismail Khan to the Naval Families Rehabilitation Organisation (NFRO) in 2010.
A NAB official told The News that they arrested the former minister and three officials, including Qayyum Nawaz, the then District Officer (Revenue and Estate Department) currently posted as Assistant Commissioner in Lakki Marwat, Riaz Muhammad, former District Officer Revenue and Estate and Gul Hassan, an assistant at the Board of Revenue Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In 2010, Syed Murid Kazim was in the ruling Awami National Party (ANP) and was serving as minister for revenue. Earlier, he was elected as Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) in 2002. Murid Kazim is known for changing political parties with almost every change in government.
As per the NAB statement, the four accused were involved in corruption and corrupt practices, misuse of authority, illegal transfer of valuable state land measuring 1,976 kanals in Dera Ismail Khan to the Naval Families Rehabilitation Organization (NFRO) in 2010 and subsequently unlawful transfer of 182 kanals residential land to officers and other employees of Revenue Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as kickbacks. It said the NAB chairman rejected the voluntary return application of the accused and ordered their arrest.
According to the NAB statement, the Director NFRO, Bahawalpur in 2009 sent an application that 1,976 kanal of land allotted to the Pakistan Navy in Dera Ismail Khan was not cultivable and, therefore, it may be exchanged with better and cultivable land.
As per rules, only the chief minister of the province is authorized to allot alternative land, but the accused Murid Kazim despite being revenue minister misused his authority and directed the provincial Board of Revenue to put up a note for allotment of alternative land to NFRO Bahawalpur and gave illegal approval for the transfer of 1,976 kanal of land to the organisation.
It said the accused Riaz Muhammad, former District Officer (Revenue and Estate) Dera Ismail Khan included valuable commercial and residential property in the proposal and this was later allotted to officers and other employees of Revenue Department.
The NAB claimed that the accused got allotted 50 kanal of land in the name of his closed associate Syed Atta Hussain Shah.It said accused Gul Hassan got 33 kanals of land in Dera Ismail Khan and accused Qayyum Nawaz, the then District Officer (Revenue & Estate) Dera Ismail Khan got four kanal and 3 marla land in the heart of Dera Ismail Khan city.
It merits a mention here that land measuring 100 kanal worth millions of rupees has already been recovered as voluntary return by NAB and has been returned to the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The NAB official said the accused would be produced before the accountability court today for obtaining their physical remand.