Ex-secretary Phull remanded to jail in land fraud case

By Our Correspondent
June 14, 2018

An accountability court ordered sending Shaheed Benazirabad district commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Phull to prison on judicial remand till July 3.

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Phull is alleged to have changed the status of government lands into residential plots during his tenure as land utilisation secretary, Malir. A corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau alleged that around 70 acres of state land were converted into residential plots illegally in 2011.

The same status was cancelled in 2015. The bail plea of Phull was rejected by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday and National Accountability Bureau then arrested him and produced him before the trial court on Wednesday.

Phull had taken over charge as Shaheed Benazirabad district commissioner in May 2017. The seat had earlier remained vacant for around 18 months. In that period, Naushehro Feroze’s deputy commissioner, Dr Waseem Shamshad, had been officiating as commissioner.

The Shaheed Benazirabad division comprises Nawabshah, Sanghar and Naushehro Feroze districts. This division was created in the ending days of the tenure of former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari.

Jamal Mustafa Syed was posted the first commissioner of this division. Jamal Syed approved the construction of the Commissioner Secretariat at the Truck Terminal plot in his tenure, and the move was vehemently opposed by the public and the restoration of terminal was demanded. Later, Shakeel Mangnejo was posted commissioner of this division.

Murder trial

A court ordered sending Rubina Dilshad, suspected killer of a man, Raees, to the prison on judicial remand. As Dilshad was produced before a judicial magistrate of District East after the expiration of the physical remand period, the court directed the investigation officer to send the woman to prison on judicial remand.

Dilshad, who is accused of killing her lover, Raees, was brought to the court amid heavy security. According to a brother of Raees, who was an employee of the Pakistan Air Force, he was due to come home from Hyderabad on May 15, but he did not arrive. Later, he said, he was informed by a Pakistan Air Force officer about the murder of his brother. He further said that his brother had come to Karachi by his car, which was missing.

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