Punjab ACE approves probe against 37 politicians

LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Punjab, has approved investigation against 37 Punjab politicians, The News has learnt. According to sources in the ACE, "Some MPAs and MNAs damaged the national exchequer through fraudulent activities in different projects.”

The ACE would also investigate the sitting MPAs and MNAs, as some of them had been accused of occupying the government lands, added the sources. "The Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, has approved investigations into activities of several PML-N leaders, including Rana Sanaullah, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Khwaja Asif, Rana Mubashir, Abid Sher Ali, Malik Mohammad Afzal Hinjra, Malik Mohammad Ajmal Hinjra, Mian Riaz, Ibadullah Khan, Rana Muhammad Azeem, Ashraf Abbas Dogar, Riaz Goraya, Mian Zulfiqar, Sheikh Rohail Asghar, Sohail Shaukat Butt, Ghazali Saleem Butt, etc.

“For many years, these MNAs and PMAs were allegedly occupying the state land worth billions of rupees.” According to sources, ACE Punjab Director-General Gohar Nafees, while presiding over a meeting, said the department would also probe the sitting MPAs and MNAs, as some of them had been occupying the state lands.

Talking to the scribe, ACE DG Gohar Nafees said, “Cases are being registered in the light of concrete evidence and those involved are being arrested." FIRs against former MPA Sardar Mir Badshah Qaisrani, former MPA Ijaz Achlana, Wilayat Bibi, mother of Javed Latif, have been registered. Additionally, an FIR against Ashraf Abbas and Riaz Goraya, the alleged front men of Ahsan Iqbal, had been registered. The DG ACE said that Gulistan Cinema constructed on the state land had been sealed. Khan Plaza has also been sealed. He added that Khokhar Plaza, owned by Afzal Khokhar, had been sealed.

More cases would be registered in the light of evidence and those involved would be arrested, DG Anti-Corruption Punjab Gohar Nafees. The ACE Punjab also nabbed Ahsan Raza Khan, who was wanted in two cases of corruption. The PML-N leader was accused of building a market on the land of a government hospital in Kanganpur and had also constructed a housing society.

Both the commercial market and the housing scheme were illegal and not approved by the Building Control Department, added the ACE DG. The Kasur deputy commissioner has sent a reference against Ahsan Raza Khan to the ACE Punjab. The ACE officials said they were conducting raids for the arrest of the accused, who had shifted to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa after a case was registered against him. The accused was nabbed by the anti-corruption team with the help of geo-fencing.

Circle Officer Attock Saeed Khan, Circle Officer Kasur Azam Minhas and a special police team chased the accused at Rashakai Interchange Mardan. According to the ACE officials, the accused left his car to flee but was nabbed by the team.

Earlier on Nov 10, Punjab’s Anti-corruption Establishment (ACE) officials had arrested PML-N leader and former mayor Sargodha Aslam Naveed, over charges of ‘abuse of power. A day earlier, the anti-corruption wing in Multan arrested former PML-N leader and MPA Malik Abdul Ghaffar Dogar from his home.

Punjab PML-N spokesperson Azma Bukhari said there was no reality of occupying land or damaging national exchequer. Actually Imran Khan used the FIA, FBR and NAB against the PML-N and could not prove anything. Now, he is using Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab as a tool and he would fail.

According to Azma, Imran was using cheap tactics by lodging FIRs against women including the wife of Kh Asif and Wilayat Bibi, mother of Javed Latif. She said the PML-N would move courts against the arrests.