KP Assembly speaker appears before NAB

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani on Monday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in an inquiry against him for misusing his authority. A NAB official confirmed to The News that Mushtaq Ghani presented himself before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) for questioning. Sources said that Mushtaq Ghani is facing the inquiry because he was the Minister for Higher Education during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s previous stint in power when decision was taken to establish the Pak-Austria-Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology at the University of Haripur. In the same case, the NAB KP is conducting inquiry against federal Defence Minister Pervez Khattak as he was the chief minister KP at the time and Amjad Ali Khan because he was the chief secretary. The NAB official said the inquiry is focused on the three for allegedly misusing their powers. The sources said that the secretary Higher Education, KP had sought Rs3 million funds for sending a delegation to Austria to discuss the establishment of the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology at the University of Haripur. However, the Planning and Development and Finance secretaries had opposed the establishment of the new institute at such a huge cost. It said that despite their opposition, the former chief minister, former minister for higher education and former chief secretary approved the establishment of the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology. The sources said that Project Director and Vice Chancellor Dr Nasser Ali Khan was also appointed against merit and the rules on the alleged directives of the then Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.