Asif Hashmi ‘escapes’ arrest on his return

Our correspondent

LAHORE: Both FIA and NAB teams had to act as mere spectators and couldn’t arrest former chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Asif Hashmi who landed at Allama Iqbal Airport on Saturday.

Asif Hashmi, who is wanted by FIA and NAB in several cases of alleged corruption and corrupt practices, was allowed to go home after he handed them over a written order of a Supreme Court bench hearing the matters related to ETPB, in which it restrained them from arresting Hashmi. FIA Punjab Director Dr Usman Anwar confirmed told The News that the NAB and FIA teams were at the airport to arrest Hashmi but couldn’t do so as the accused had a restraining order from the apex court.

The former chairman ETPB, who is also a senior PPP leader, was facing several cases when he fled the country in 2013. The FIA had booked him for a controversial land deal worth billions of rupees signed during his tenure with Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Lahore. As per the deal signed in 2009, the ETPB was to hand over its land measuring over 1,940 kanals located to DHA against a share of 25 per cent in residential as well as 10 per share in commercial plots. Earlier, the DHA was agreed to give ETPB share at 33 per cent share but it was revised during the tenure of PPP leader in 2009. Former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while taking suo moto notice in 2011, declared the deal as null and void. The Supreme Court had also ordered the DHA to accept the deal with 33 per cent share otherwise return all the land transferred in its favour by the Board.

On the other hand, the NAB started investigation on the complaints of former ETPB chairman Siddiq-ul-Farooq regarding hundreds of alleged illegal appointments, investments of millions of rupees in stock exchange and sale of ETPB land/properties against peanuts.

Talking to media outside the airport, Hashmi refuted the allegations levelled against him by his successor Siddiqul Farooq and said he would present his point of view before the SC bench. He also stated that he would file a defamation suit against the PML-N appointee (Siddiqul Farooq) over baseless accusations.