Builders will not be harassed by ACE officials, ABAD assured

The Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) chairman, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, has emphasised that digitising the record of all government institutions is essential to eradicate corruption.

Speaking at an event at the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) House, he announced that ACE would be fully computerized. He proposed a one-year sentence for filing false complaints and stressed that eliminating harassment was crucial for economic growth.

Anti-corruption officers were being trained to investigate white-collar crimes, he said as he assured builders’ representatives that any complaints against ABAD members would be addressed in consultation with the association.

He highlighted that land-related corruption was one of the most prevalent form of corruption due to encroachments and fraudulent transactions being common. He said Karachi had 18 land-related agencies, including the Malir Development Authority, Karachi Development Authority and Lyari Development Authority, and their record need to be computerised to ensure secure land titles.

Shah stated that anti-corruption reforms were being introduced to restore public trust. He added that one of the key reforms was that anonymous complaints would not be entertained. He said 7,000 cases were resolved by ACE in the last year alone. That corruption cases in Sindh would be reviewed by ACE before being referred to the National Accountability Bureau, he added.

"Once a case is resolved, it will not be reinvestigated under the new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)," he explained. The position of circle officers would be abolished, and deputy directors would be appointed at the district level, he said. No anti-corruption officer would be allowed to issue notices without the approval of the director general, he added.

Regarding corruption in construction projects, he assured ABAD that completed projects would not be demolished due to corruption cases but regularised. It was decided that a joint committee of anti-corruption officials and ABAD representatives would be formed to address the concerns of builders and developers.

He apologised for an incident where an anti-corruption officer referred to an ABAD member as part of a mafia, stating that officers were being trained to prevent such issues. ABAD Chairman Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi welcomed the reforms, stating that eliminating corruption would boost economic activities and create jobs. However, he raised concerns about harassment by anti-corruption agencies, leading to capital flight to Dubai as investors hesitated to spend their money in local projects.

He demanded legal reforms to prevent harassment and suggested that ABAD representatives be included as observers in inquiries against ABAD members. Bakhshi also criticised the practice of requiring builders to submit documents during investigations against government officials, arguing that builders already submitted all necessary documents to the relevant authorities.

He stressed that investigations should have a fixed time frame to prevent delays. He pointed out cases where investigations took 20 years, and by the time they concluded, the project was completed and then deemed illegal — calling this an injustice. Instead of demolishing such projects, he urged for their regularisation to avoid economic and legal uncertainty.