ABBOTTABAD: The anti-corruption police on Monday arrested an engineer of the communication and works department and the district health office clerk for embezzling funds in purchase of land for a basic health unit. A revenue department official was also arrested for receiving commission in a plot transfer case.

Anti-corruption sub-inspector Ejaz Khan told Dawn that in 2011, a piece of land measuring eight kanals was purchased for constructing a basic health unit in Kole Paieen village at Rs37.5 million. But, scrutiny of record and physical verification showed that only four kanals were purchased for the purpose, thus causing loss to national exchequer. He said that DHO office clerk Abdul Qadir, and C&W engineer Niaz were arrested for their involvement in the scam.

Inspector Ejaz said that in the second case, patwari Tahir Farooq took money from a party for transferring a commercial plot in their name, but he deceived the purchasers and handed them over a less valued plot, and putting a fake entry on the revenue record.

Ejaz Khan said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director anti-corruption Zaiullah Khan Toru had ordered inquiry against the three officials after receiving information about their involvement in irregularities. The sub-inspector said that the three would be produced before the anti-corruption magistrate.

OATH-TAKING CEREMONY: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan has said it is time we learnt form past mistakes and worked for better future of the country.“We should abide by the laws of the land and put our act together to strengthen the state institutions without interfering into the affairs of others,” he stressed while addressing the oath taking ceremony of the Abbottabad Press Club here on Monday.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, MPAs Aurangzeb Nulhota, Amana Sardar, former provincial ministers, high ranking officials, representatives of traders, lawyers and journalists associations from Haripur, Manshera and Abbottabad were in attendance.

Mr Mehtab said that tribal areas of the country were in a shambles and local residents were leaving their towns and villages due to lawlessness. But we have set our priorities to bring the tribal belt at par with other parts of the country as the tribal people had a long history of giving sacrifices for the country, he added. The governor said that a number of projects had been launched for the betterment of the tribal people.

The governor emphasised that that every institution was indispensable for the survival of the country and said that confrontation among institutions was detrimental to the country. “We have to shun intolerance and learn to respect each other,” he stressed.

Speaking on the occasion, the newly elected president of press club Sardar Naveed Alam, president of Abbottabd Union of Journalist Naveed Ahmed and PFUJ president Afzal Butt demanded early arrest of the culprits involved in murder attempt on senior journalist Hamid Mir in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2014