ACE’s senior officer suspended for misusing authority

Following directives of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Suhail Rajput has placed the services of a senior officer of the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Muhammad Farooq Bugti, under suspension for allegedly misusing of his authority.

The deputy director of Karachi’s West Zone of the Sindh ACE, Bugti, originally an officer of the provincial government’s Provincial Civil Service Group, had been working in the ACE on deputation from last three years.

Sources in the Sindh government informed The News that Bugti was suspended after a video went viral on social media showing the arrest of a traffic police officer, Inspector Iftikhar, a section officer of Saudabad, Karachi, by an ACE team headed by Bugti himself.

Inspector Iftikhar and his subordinate police officials later informed top officers that Bugti had reportedly a personal grudge with traffic police officials who had one day earlier taken action against him for a violation of traffic rules, said the sources.

Police authorities brought the incident to the knowledge of the CM, who after verifying the facts ordered action against ACE officer Bugti, added the sources.

This reporter approached the ACE chairman and suspended officer Bugti for their comments, called at their numbers and then sent a detailed text message requesting them to give their versions on the issue, but till the filing of this news story, both had avoided to respond.