Irregularities in PLDC affairs: NAB summons PM’s principal secy, ex-DG LDA

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore, has summoned Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad and former director general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Khan Cheema in its ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) affairs.

Fawad has been summoned on Thursday (today) at 3pm at the NAB office at Thokar Niaz Baig. A combined investigation team has directed the Grade-22 bureaucrat through a summon issued on February 12 to bring all the record with him as PLDC, Aashiana-e-Iqbal, LDA, and Casa Developers officials have revealed during investigations that he possessed information/evidence regarding the award and cancellation of the contract of the Aashiana project. Fawad has served in Lahore for several years on keypositions including deputy commissioner, secretary Excise & Taxation Punjab, secretary Health Punjab and secretary Services, etc, before being posted in the federal capital after the PML-N formed the government in 2013. After serving former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as his principal secretary, he has been holding the same post since Shahid Khaqan Abbasi assumed the PM office.

On the other hand, the CIT also summoned Ahad Khan Cheema, the incumbent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power (Pvt) Limited, for the second time in the same case. In December 2017, he had recorded his statement in the ongoing probes regarding PLDC and Aashiana affairs. The former DG LDA has been asked to appear before the CIT on February 16th (tomorrow) at 3pm.

The CIT has directed Khan to bring a detailed statement regarding the award of the Aashiana contract, which was entrusted to him by the chief minister. “You are advised that failing to comply with this notice may entail penal consequences as provided in Section 2 of the Schedule of NAO 1999,” NAB communicated to the former DG LDA.

The CIT has already recorded statements of around a dozen people including government officials in the ongoing probe. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Executive Officer Paragon City Nadeem Zia and Director Paragon City Ali Sajjad have recorded statements.

It may be relevant to mention here that the bureau, after detecting alleged irregularities in PLDC affairs had launched investigations into an agreement signed between the PLDC and M/s Anhui Construction Engineering Group owned by Ali Sajjad, M/s Bismillah Engineering Company owned by Nadeem Zia and M/s Sparco Group for the Aashiana project.

The NAB had received a number of complaints regarding the deal involving 3,000 Kanals of government land between the PLDC and the companies mentioned above. Some 6,700 apartments on 1,000 Kanals were to be constructed and some 2,000 Kanals were to be given to these companies.