Malam Jabba land lease case: NAB team grills PTI senator

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday questioned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Mohsin Aziz for his alleged role in the lease of 275 acres of land in Malam Jabba in Swat.

Salma Begum, spokesperson for NAB KP, told The News that Mohsin Aziz appeared before the Combined Investigation Team at the NAB’s office in Peshawar.

She said the investigation team questioned Mohsin Aziz regarding the allegations that the forest land was illegally leased at the Malam Jabba summer resort to a party.

He was also handed over a questionnaire for him to give written answers about the case.

An official of the NAB said that Senator Mohsin Aziz was summoned because he was the chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Investment Board when the lease was approved.

About the non-appearance of Senior Minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Muhammad Atif Khan despite being summoned by NAB, she said he was abroad and would appear before the Combined Investigation Team after his return to Pakistan.

It may be mentioned that NAB KP has also summoned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on December 17 in connection with this case.

The NAB official said the chief minister would also be questioned about the lease of land at Malam Jabba.

He added that the lease materialised when Mahmood Khan was the provincial minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism in the previous PTI-led provincial government from 2013-2018.

Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, who was the chief minister when the lease was given, and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Principal Secretary Azam Khan, who was serving at the time as chief secretary, have already recorded their statements in the case.