Ehtesab Commission files reference against ex-MNA, 13 others

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC) on Wednesday filed a reference against 14 persons including former member National Assembly of PML-N Sardar Muhammad Mushtaq and District Revenue Officer Latifur Rehman for allegedly embezzling fund in the purchase of land for a labour complex in Haripur and causing loss of over Rs130 million to the provincial exchequer.

An official of the KPEC told The News that a reference of Rs137.2 million was filed in the Ehtesab Court against 14 people including the ex- MNA, District Revenue Oofficer and others.

The Director General Ehtesab Commission ordered the investigation after receiving information that embezzlement had been committed in purchase of land for the labour complex for the Workers Welfare Board employees.

The Ehtesab Commission claimed that the revenue officials, through changes in the land record, had given benefit to the landowners by showing the low priced land to be of high value, thereby causing a loss of millions of rupees to the exchequer.

It was submitted that the former chairman of Workers Welfare Board Tariq Awan was also involved in the unlawful act and was charged in the case. It said that he was the chairman of Price Determination Committee and played his role by showing high rates of the land.

The Ehtesab Commission claimed that officials of Revenue Department in connivance with landowners changed the Khasra numbers, Gardawari, Jamabandi and Field Books in the revenue record to fix an exorbitant price for the land.

Earlier, the NAB had probed the matter but closed the case after failing to get solid proof against the suspects.

The Ehtesab Commission pointed out that the Provincial Inspection Team and Revenue Department had also done an inquiry into the matter which concluded that the officials had changed the revenue records.

It stated that evidence had been collected against the suspects and a reference has been submitted in the court of Ehtesab judge Abdul Ghafoor Qureshi.