KARACHI, July 1: The National Accountability Bureau, Sindh, on Monday arrested Agha Tariq, former minister for Mineral Development.

The allegation against him is that he allotted valuable government land measuring 341.68 acres in the name of his wife Gulnar Begum on 30 years mining lease. Within a period of two months, in collusion with the former chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah and Ali Sher Shaikh, the then secretary LU, he allegedly got the land converted from 30 years mining lease into 99 years lease for residential/commercial purposes at throwaway price of Rs50,000 per acre, as against the rate f Rs5,00 square yards, quoted by the DC of Malir.

The NAB authorities claimed that due to criminal misconduct, corruption and corrupt practices of all the above-named accused, the government had to suffer loss of Rs 880 million on account of conversion of land.