Rs2b alleged loss to state kitty: Three ex-generals to face NAB reference

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Board of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Tuesday approved the filing of a reference against three retired generals for allegedly causing a loss of over Rs2 billion to the national exchequer in Royal Palm Golf Club corruption scam.

Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal presided over the board meeting.

The reference will be filed against ex-railways and communication minister Lt Gen (R) Javed Ashraf Qazi, ex-secretary Ministry of Railways/chairman railways Maj Gen (R) Saeed-uz-Zafar, and ex-GM Pakistan Railways Major General (R) Hamid Hassan Butt. The other accused in the reference are GM Operations Pakistan Railways Iqbal Samad Khan, ex-member finance Pakistan Railways Khursheed Ahmed Khan, ex-director Pakistan Railways Brig (R) Akhtar Ali Baig, ex-superintendent Pakistan Railways Abdul Ghaffar, director M/s Husnain Constructions Muhammad Ramazan Sheikh, Chief Executive Unicon Consulting Services Pervez Latif, and Director MAX Corp Development, Malaysia Datu Muhammad Kasa bin Aziz.

The board also approved complaint verification against Minister of State for Health Service Sara Afzal Tarar and president Pakistan Medical and Dental Council for alleged corrupt practices in reorganization of 12 medical colleges.

Two different investigations were also approved against the MQM-P senior leader Abdur Rauf Siddiqui, Muhammad Adil Siddiqui, Dr Sarwat Fahim, Mushtaq Ali Leghari, Mehmood Ahmed Ghulam Nabi Mehar, Abdul Hayee Dhamra, Syed Imdad Ali Shah, Syed Umed Ali Shah and others for alleged embezzlement in government funds, illegal appointments in Sindh Small Industry Corporation and illegal allotment of plots causing a loss of over Rs435.4 million.

Filing of a reference was also approved against ex-chairman Wapda Tariq Hameed, ex-member power Wapda Muhammad Anwar Khalid, ex-member Water, Wapda Muhammad Mushtaq, ex-member finance Wapda Imtiaz Anjum and others for allegedly awarding a contract of 150MW rental power project to M/s Electric Energy Pvt Ltd in violation of rules.

The board also approved investigation against ex-chairman Capital development Authority Farkhand Iqbal, ex-member estate CDA Khalid Mehmood Mirza, ex-member finance CDA Javed Jehangir and others for alleged sale of commercial CDA plots at throwaway rates causing a loss of Rs494.333 million to the national exchequer.

An inquiry was also approved against ex-DG Peshawar Development Authority Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, ex-DG Syed Zahir Shah, ex-GM PDA Muhammad Tariq, ex-director Abdul Haleem Paracha and others for alleged illegal allotment of plots and additional lands to the owners of plots causing a loss of Rs75.27 million to the national exchequer.

Another inquiry was approved against ex-nazim and MPA Peshawar Tamash Khan for accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

The board also approved an inquiry against Balochistan minister Rehmat Baloch for accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income.

The board also approved the closure of an inquiry against Director Distant Learning Programme Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan Dr Muhammad Ishaq Fani and officials of Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and National Highway Authority (NHA).