PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission on Thursday booked the detained provincial minister, Ziaullah Afridi, in another corruption case, alleging he was instrumental in awarding a mining contract against the prescribed rules and thus, inflicting Rs3 billion loss to the exchequer.

Ziaullah was arrested on July 9 on the charges of carrying out illegal appointments, transfers and postings in the mines and minerals development department and allowing illegal mining in different areas, including Nowshera.

He is in the custody of the commission until today (Friday).

Officials of the commission produced the minister before Ehtesab judge Hayat Ali Shah to secure his physical custody.

Ziaullah charged with awarding mining contract against rules and thus, costing kitty Rs3bn

Additional deputy prosecutor general of the commission Qazi Babar Irshad said that was a separate case and therefore, the commission required his custody for investigation.

Advocate Danish Afridi appeared for the suspect and contended that he was already in the custody of the commission and there was no need to further remand him to its custody in a separate case.

The court decided to hear arguments today (Friday) of both the sides on the point whether further custody could be granted in the new case or not.

The commission has alleged that the suspect as a minister for mines and minerals development used his influence to pressurise members of the mining committee to process and give favours in the renewal of Chromite mines at Tanghi in Charssada district to one Mohammad Ayaz.

It alleged that under the Mining Concession Rules 2005 after completion of lease period the department had to re-auction the said mine. However, it is alleged that instead of re-auctioning it the lease of Mohammad Ayaz was renewed. It is added that Mohammad Ayaz had onward sub-leased the contract to Jalal Khattak without taking permission of the competent authority.

Also in the day, the hearing into the petition against Ziaullah’s arrest didn’t take place in the Peshawar High Court for the second consecutive time due to paucity of time.

The petition is filed by Hidayatullah Afridi, brother of Ziaullah, who has also requested the court to set him free on bail till final decision in his petition.

As in several other detention cases filed under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission Act, 2014, suspects were granted interim bail, the counsel for Ziaullah believe their client is also entitled to bail on similar grounds.

Previously, the petition was fixed for hearing on July 30.

However, only a single division bench was functional on that day due to summer vacation and it left cases, including that of Ziaullah, due to lack to time. Similarly, the petition was not heard as its turn had not arrived at the time of the rising of the bench comprising Justice Qaisar Rasheed and Justice Roohul Ameen.

Similarly, the bench also left petitions filed by director general of mines and minerals Dr Liaquat Ali against his arrest by the commission, and by secretary of the department Mian Waheeduddin against warrants issued for his arrest by the commission.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2015

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