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Friday March 29, 2024

Copter use, forest land cases: KP CM appears before NAB

By Akhtar Amin
April 26, 2018

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday handed over questionnaires to Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak as he appeared before the investigation team regarding an inquiry into the use of KP government helicopter by the PTI chief Imran Khan and scandal of leasing out 275 acres of Forest Department land in Malam Jabba. Akhtar Amin

A source in the NAB KP told The News that in the questionnaire about use of helicopter, the NAB asked about the government and commercial use of the KP government’s helicopter, expenses over its maintenance and other matters.

Talking to media after appearing before the NAB investigation team, Pervaiz Khattak said he welcomed the NAB inquiry. “I, being a chief executive of the province, appeared before the NAB for accountability. The NAB should do accountability of all,” Pervaiz Khattak said.

He added that he had no objection to the NAB inquiries. “I don’t consider the NAB investigations as reprisal against me,” he added.

The chief minister said that he appeared in two inquiries related to use of helicopter and lease of Malam Jabba land and the government would provide answers to the questions in these two cases. He maintained that there were no standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the use of government helicopter, but it was a tradition that the governor and chief minister of the province was using it. The chief minister said that questionnaires had been received and he would submit a written reply to the questions. He also said that he came to the NAB office without any protocol.

Earlier, a list of the persons who have travelled with Imran Khan in the official helicopter was handed over to the NAB.

On the direction of NAB chairman, the NAB KP started investigations into the use of KP government helicopter by Imran Khan. The sources said that five officers, including one civil aviation officer and four administration officers, had recorded their statements in the case. They said the administration department had filed a list of those who had travelled by the official helicopter.

The NAB KP was also provided the purchase agreement for the helicopters and also the rules and regulations for the use of the aircraft. Reportedly, the KP government spent millions of rupees on Imran’s use of the helicopters.

The KP NAB has also started an inquiry into the mega scandal of leasing out Forest Department’s 275 acres protected land in Malam Jabba.

Malam Jabba forests were the property of the Swat ruler; however, after dissolution of One-Unit status of Pakistan in 1970, the status of Swat and Chitral as the princely states came to an end. Then all forests in Swat were handed over to the Forest Department.

On December 15, 1972, the forest lands measuring 270 acres were declared protected. Again on December 20-22, 1975, the land was declared a protected area of the department.

According to the Forest Department, the Tourism Department could not sign any agreement for leasing the land out or granting access to it. However, during the PTI-led provincial government, 275 acres of the Forest Department was leased out.