ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau decided on Monday to start investigations against former federal minister Firdaus Ashiq Awan, Senator Azam Khan Hoti, former member of the Punjab Assembly Qasim Zia and Rana Ishaq Khan, MNA of the Pakistan Muslim League-N’s.

A meeting of the National Accountability Bureau’s executive board was informed that Ms Awan would face investigation for illegally using public buses for an NGO run by her when she was the minister for information in the PPP government.

The meeting observed that there were credible information and evidence against the former minister which needed to be investigated.

NAB spokesman Mohammad Irfan said the board had also authorised an inquiry against Ms Awan for illegally making appointments in the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.

NAB’s executive board finds credible evidence against ex-ministers

According to a complaint, the district administration of Sialkot had acquired 12 buses on lease to be used by a girls school for transporting students, but the former minister used the vehicles for her NGO.

Ms Awan has claimed that the PPP government had donated the buses to the NGO after completing legal formalities and these were being used to provide free transport service to thousands of girl students of Bajwat and adjoining villages in Sialkot district.

The former minister said she would not allow the government to politicise her NGO because it had been running a public welfare project.

Senator Azam Khan Hoti, his wife and some other people will be investigated for illegal banking transactions and corruption amounting to Rs128 million.

Former president of PPP Punjab Qasim Zia is also facing an inquiry.

PML-N lawmaker Rana Ishaq Khan and others are accused of embezzling and misappropriating Rs500m from the funds of the Pattoki Tehsil Council. His business partners – Ali Usman, chief executive officer / director, and Khalid Anwar and Rana Zahid, directors of the Stock Brokerage – will be investigated for cheating and misappropriating Rs107.7m from general public in the name of stocks.

Zakiullah, a former housing secretary of the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will be investigated for having accumulated assets beyond his known sources of income.

The National Accountability Bureau board authorised verification of a complaint against Maulana Abdul Wasay, a former minister of Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2014