Court issues arrest warrants in Karachi land grabbing case

KARACHI/RAWALPINDI: An accountability court in Karachi has issued bailable arrest warrants for 10 accused, including senior management of a housing project, in a reference pertaining to alleged illegal conversion, exchange and transfer of state land to a housing project.

Former Sindh Building Control Authority Manzoor Qadir Kaka and other accused appeared before the accountability court.

The court issued bailable arrest warrants for 10 accused, including senior management leadership of the housing project. The defence counsel stated that a former chief minister and a senior minister have obtained a stay order from the Sindh High Court.

The investigating officer said that court summons could not be served to the 10 accused. He further stated that the private builder is an absconder in two references filed in a Rawalpindi court.

The complainant in this case requested a copy of the reference. The defence lawyers argued that his name was not mentioned in the reference and suggested that the complainant should contact the NAB chairman.

Meanwhile, in a reference, senior management leaders of the housing project, former Tehsil Nazim Murree, and 25 employees from the Revenue and Forest Departments have been named as accused.

In the second reference, a former Punjab chief minister, his son, and 18 officers from the Revenue and Forest Departments have been issued summons.

The Accountability Court Rawalpindi, presided over by Judge Mohammad Akmal Khan, issued notices to the accused in both references filed over the alleged seizure of 487 billion rupees’ worth of government land through corruption and malpractice.

On February 18, a reference involving a Rs152 billion embezzlement case against the private builder, his son, former Tehsil Nazim Murree, and 25 employees from the Revenue and Forest Departments was filed by NAB Rawalpindi. The court issued summons for March 10. On the same day, a second reference involving a 335-billion-rupee embezzlement case was filed, naming the former chief minister of Punjab, a private builder and 18 officers and employees from the Revenue and Forest Departments. Summons for this reference were issued for March 17. Copies of both summons were handed over to the investigating officers.

The court ordered that copies of the reference be provided to the accused and adjourned the hearing until April 15.