NAB decides to launch probes against land grabbers

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) held a regional board meeting at its Karachi office on Monday, and decided to launch several inquiries against land grabbers.

The meeting, chaired by NAB’s Karachi director general, Mohammad Altaf Bawany, was attended by the directors of investigation wings, the Additional Director Complaint Verification Cell and investigating teams working on various cases.

The spokesman for the NAB Karachi said various cases were deliberated on and a number of decisions were made. An inquiry was authorised against Haji Gul Muhammad Brohi and other alleged land grabbers in the Jamshoro district over allegations they had illegally occupied government land behind Al-Habib Restaurant along the Super Highway, a piece of land behind the LUMHS University, a piece of land adjacent to a Shell patrol pump on the Indus Highway and eight shops in the Shahi Bazaar near the railway crossing in Hyderabad.

The suspects, in connivance with others, are alleged to have caused losses to the government to tune of billions of rupees. An probe was authorised against retired official Jalaluddin-Hesbani Baloch, who has allegedly accumulated assets beyond the known sources of income in his capacity as executive engineer of the Sindh irrigation department in Matiari district. The accused has been alleged of causing loss to the state exchequer worth more than Rs160 million.

Another inquiry was authorized against officers and officials of Sports and Youth Affairs Department Govt. of Sindh on the allegation of misappropriation in development budget and illegal contracting of various schemes in violation of rules and by awarding contracts worth Rs417 million to the favorite contractors.

DG NAB Mohammad Altaf Bawany, at the end of Board Meeting, appreciated the confidence reposed by general public for coming forward to lodge 34 and 46 complaints, showing an increasing trend during previous two public hearings (Khuli Katchehry), which is a great contribution in process of accountability. He called upon general public for joining hands with NAB in fight against corruption by lodging their complaints under National Accountability Ordinance 1999.