PESHAWAR: Despite clear instructions from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that no officer should be posted out until the Kohistan Rs40 billion inquiry’s is completed, Naseerud Din Sarwar, KP’s Accountant General, relinquished charge after transfer and was reassigned as Director General (Investigation, Vigilance & Regulation) at CGA headquarters, placing him in charge of investigating anomalies.
Surprisingly, Naseerud Din Sarwar was transferred on May 13, while the second meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Kohistan scandal was held in the assembly on May 14. On that occasion, Speaker Babar Saleem said to Naseer ud Din, “Mr AG, we have heard that you have been transferred, but you must not relinquish charge. Inform the Auditor General of Pakistan about the PAC’s decision. During the inquiry, you will not relinquish charge. Your office is involved in corruption.”
At one point, Naseer said that the main role in the corruption was played by other departments, but the blame is being placed on the AG’s office. On this, members of the Public Accounts Committee protested, saying that the members were being insulted. The Speaker, expressing anger, said, “Don’t compel me to issue arrest orders.”
According to sources, despite the Speaker’s instructions, Naseer ud Din relinquished charge on May 15. He was appointed on April 16, 2024, and was transferred almost a year later, on May 15, 2025, to serve as Director General of Investigation, Vigilance, and Regulation.
However, an official of the Auditor General’s office told this correspondent that the transfer of officers is a routine administrative matter and has no connection with the current Kohistan scandal, nor will any inquiry be affected. Furthermore, no written order has been received from the Public Accounts Committee. They stated that all institutions are accountable to the Public Accounts Committee. The sources close to Naseer ud Din say that he acted in accordance with official orders, as he had already been transferred and was therefore required to relinquish charge.
On the other hand, special teams have been constituted to investigate widespread excess payments made under the Public Works budget head G10113 across various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as part of a fact-finding probe by the Accountant General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The C&W, PHE, and Irrigation Department officers are directed to extend full cooperation and provide the relevant documents to the inquiry teams.
The inquiry has been initiated following a system-based analysis by the CGA, which reportedly uncovered excess payments potentially exceeding Rs16.5 billion spanning the fiscal years 2016–17 to 2025. The Accountant General KP’s office issued formal instructions on May 16, 2025, constituting 14 special teams to complete their fact-finding investigations by May 26, under the urgency of the matter.
Meanwhile, the following officers have been assigned specific districts for the ongoing probe: Naeem Haider, Rafi Ullah, and Waqas Khan will investigate accounts in Chitral, Dir Upper, and Dir Lower, respectively. Muhammad Tahir has been assigned Shangla, Syed Shams Ahmad to Swat, Mudassir Khan to Torghar, and Muhammad Zubair to Kolai Palas.
Sardar Aftab Ahmad and Khurshid Ahmad Abbassi will lead the inquiries in Haripur and Mansehra, while Syed Awais Zaheer is included without a specific district. Similarly, Muhammad Younas and Wasim Khan have been posted to Lakki Marwat and Tank, with Salman Khan and Irfan Afridi as supporting members. Sami Ullah and Hamid Jan are handling Bannu and North Waziristan (Miranshah), joined by Zohaid Khan and Shakir Ullah.
In Hangu and Kohat, Amjid Khan and Usman Ali will lead the inquiries, with Athal Khan assisting. Nadir Khan and M. Imran Khan are assigned to Mohmand and Khyber, with Qalander Khan and Basit Ali assisting. Manzoor Ahmed is handling Peshawar, joined by Jawad Khan from DAO Chowk Yadgar, along with Farukh Shahab, Mohammad Uzair, and Arbab Bilal.
In Nowshera and Swabi, Sajid Khan and Maqsood Ali will take charge, aided by Attaullah and Anwar Iqbal. Bakht Biland is tasked with Mardan, supported by Usman Khan and Abdul Wahab. Murad Ullah and Muhammad Zubair are assigned to Buner and Malakand, joined by Akhtar Ali and Muhammad Tariq.
The Dera Ismail Khan and Karak inquiries will be conducted by Muhammad Kashif and Mujeeb ur Rehman, assisted by Munawar Khan and Muhammad Kamran. For Kurram, Muhammad Aftab has been named, with Haleem Ullah and Muhammad Imran included in his team. Lastly, Syed Munir Hussain Shah will investigate Battagram, supported by Faisal ur Rehman and Muhammad Adil.
The teams have been instructed to coordinate directly with the District and Divisional Accounts Officers to ensure the timely and comprehensive completion of the inquiry. Any delay or non-cooperation, the circular warns, may invite serious consequences.
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