PTI provincial minister, 10 others arrested by NAB

E-Paper | July 21, 2026

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Provincial Minister for Mines and Minerals Ziaullah Afridi was arrested on corruption charges on Thursday following a proceeding by the Ehtesab Commission in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The commission claims that the minister was involved in misuse of power for non-transparent leasing of contracts pertaining to land. The charges against him also include illegal recruitment and transfers allegedly made by the minister.

In another proceeding by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), former minister and secretary for mines and minerals Nawabzada Mehmood Zeb and Shah Wali respectively, Bannu Commissioner Asmatullah Khan along with seven others were arrested in a land leasing scandal.

NAB claims that in 2008, 500 acres of land owned by the Mines and Minerals Department was leased for 33 years for Rs14,000 only. The land was leased in Abbotabad to a woman named Rukhsana in a agreement made by the minister's front man Ehteshaamul Mulk which said that the profits will be shared between the two parties on a 50-50 basis.

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Jul 09, 2015 03:47pm

Real Tabdeeli ......

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Laeeq, NY

Jul 09, 2015 03:48pm

Final out come will be zero.

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Khan

Jul 09, 2015 03:48pm

Charity begins at home !

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syed wasim haider

Jul 09, 2015 03:49pm

At PTI is doing showing good governess.

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Zaki

Jul 09, 2015 03:50pm

Accountability across the board. Another promise fulfilled with independent NAB. Thank you PTI, thank you Imran Khan...

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Mangal

Jul 09, 2015 03:51pm

Only PTI can take such steps. It is a blessing for us that we have someone who can be vicious in accountability even to the ones from his own ranks. Wake up people and cherish it before we lose him and are left to be robbed by the rest of the political elite. I wonder why people don't see that IK is ridiculed for petty issues.

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Malik Saab

Jul 09, 2015 03:51pm

Fishy! Is he the same minister who accused the Chinese mining companies operating in KP of smuggling minerals?

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hassan

Jul 09, 2015 03:52pm

bravo ! this is the real change which we want. Please keep digging the corrupts.

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Umer Noor

Jul 09, 2015 03:53pm

Jiay Imran! Jiay PTI.. Nobody is above the law. who will dare to do corruption in reign of Imran. Independent Estisab Commission's promised fulfilled.

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Raza Hussain Shah

Jul 09, 2015 03:57pm

IK new the activities of this man. He is very close to Saif Ullah Niazi who is front man for IK.

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Worker

Jul 09, 2015 03:58pm

PTI must be lauded that they made a strong Ehtishab Commission who could nab a sitting minister, Kudos to IK

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zubiii

Jul 09, 2015 04:00pm

Great to see history being made, never before a minister has been arrested by his own govt's Ehtesab commission. Well done PTI, ruthless accountability is the only way forward for us.

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Hassan

Jul 09, 2015 04:01pm

I am proud of PTI and IK, Who has put in a system which ensures that nobody is above the law.

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responsible

Jul 09, 2015 04:09pm

At least in KPK, we can say that NAB is independent.

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naji

Jul 09, 2015 04:10pm

The second most corrupt political group is PTI, after PPP.

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Adil Jadoon

Jul 09, 2015 04:16pm

Good job. Lock them up.

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Yaqoob

Jul 09, 2015 04:16pm

Though the news is like fresh breath of air but I believe nothing at the end will happen. Courts will grant bail and he will be Scot free in no time.

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nadeem

Jul 09, 2015 04:18pm

good work pti

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AQJ

Jul 09, 2015 04:19pm

All are same. What is in the gene cannot be changed.

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well_wisher1@hotmail.com

Jul 09, 2015 04:21pm

what is about ministers in Sindh? who will catch them? they have almost sold Sindh, - Illegal recruitments on fake degrees, hundreds and thousands were recruited during 2013 election time, but 99% having fake degrees. - Earned Millions from recruitments - Whats about former education minister? what happened to 30,000 teachers, they deprived from their money from 6 to 10 lakhs which they paid for the job and till date they waiting for salary because fake orders were distributed. Thousands of corruption scandels/stories but why NAB is silent? Can any one answer?????

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Talha

Jul 09, 2015 04:22pm

Great job PTI. This is called great governance. Everybody is equal in front of law even if the person is from government. Proud of you IK.. This is the Naya Pakistan and Tabdeeli we want.

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Pakistani

Jul 09, 2015 04:24pm

Naya KPK for you.

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Sandhu

Jul 09, 2015 04:28pm

This is Naya Pakistan for you. You accept or not but Imran khan has transformed KP.

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M. Saeed Awan

Jul 09, 2015 04:30pm

Mashallallah! naya Pakistan. And still to come when perchance (though no chance) comes in power with new lotas from PPP and other parties.

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ALI SIKANDAR CHACHAR

Jul 09, 2015 04:30pm

It is a commendable job of NAB. But we want to see NAB to nabbing the corrupt persons in other parts of Pakistan.

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SIKANDER SHALLWANI

Jul 09, 2015 04:37pm

Dirty face of NAB. They always target people from small provinces and favor federal ruling party.

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Iqbal Khan

Jul 09, 2015 04:38pm

Can PPP or pmln dare to catch their dirty fish. PTI needs more vigorous accountability across the board and shouldn't stop on this. People will support you.

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Khan

Jul 09, 2015 04:39pm

Wow, the apathy by some of your readers here - nothing will happen, all are same etc. Don't you guys see an actual Sitting Minister is Nabbed, possibly first time ever in Pakistan history. Appreciate a positive step wherever it happens than act in a perpetual tone of a mother-in-law.

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Asim Munir

Jul 09, 2015 04:41pm

If KPK NAB brings the case to its logical end then both PTI and KPK NAB deserve a salute

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Chachakirkit

Jul 09, 2015 04:41pm

All those who are giving credit to Imran Khan Sb for the arrest of his own minister for his alleged involvement in corruption must know that NAB is not a provincial but an independent federal government institution. But the question is why all in a sudden it has come out of hibernation and seems to be in rush in targeting politicians.

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Shaukat Ali

Jul 09, 2015 04:41pm

Naya Pakistan.

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AAK

Jul 09, 2015 04:42pm

Lesson for IK to stop accepting tried and failed and corrupt politicians in its ranks.

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Yasir

Jul 09, 2015 04:56pm

Tabdeeli is here!!!

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Common man

Jul 09, 2015 05:00pm

Most honest and clean govt of PTI in KPK where they converted Kabul river into a river of milk and honey

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KHAN

Jul 09, 2015 05:02pm

@Chachakirkit .. It is Ehtesab Commission, formed by PTI not NAB.

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Imran Siddiqui

Jul 09, 2015 05:08pm

Well done PTI!! Proud if the newly formed KPEB (KP Ehtisab Bureau)

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muhammad

Jul 09, 2015 05:17pm

This can happen only in KPK because of PTI. PTI deliver the message across board nobody is above the law Zindabad PTI.

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Lawoftheland

Jul 09, 2015 05:22pm

This is good. Anyone who is corrupt, irrespective of the party should be arrested & tried.

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Emad

Jul 09, 2015 05:22pm

Well done NAB, like IK said justice for every one, that's why I support PTI, would this have been possible anywhere else in Pakistan? No.

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Iqbal

Jul 09, 2015 05:27pm

All these criminals should be in jails.

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Ashram Choudhry

Jul 09, 2015 05:35pm

Time will tell if it is an illusion or delusion?

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Tanvir Afgan

Jul 09, 2015 05:36pm

A good beginning but let us see the results in our judicial system

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M. Asghar

Jul 09, 2015 05:51pm

The cleaing operation of the NAB shows the depth and mayhem of corruption all around in everything by almost everybody and, particularly, by those in power.

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ihsan ullah

Jul 09, 2015 06:04pm

dear reporter its not NAB but arrested by ehtisab commisiion,which is ist of its kind, nd its provincial body set up by pti......

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Nadeem

Jul 09, 2015 06:06pm

Any such guts shown by Punjab, anytime in the history?

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Khan

Jul 09, 2015 06:24pm

Can N-League copy them ?

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Raza

Jul 09, 2015 06:33pm

Good job indeed !!!!!, now please not only lock him up, seize all his accounts, get all the illegal he is been putting in his pockets, bring it back to the treasury. Please PTI show some guts, say he was with you but not anymore, don't say like other losers that he quit PTI 2 days ago, because this is just so lame. These losers have no dignity, they just jump from party to party like a frog in a pond. We need a fresh blood / Youth, who are fierce, educated, honest to take the reins of our government not these old farts who are just there to loot the Country and nothing else. Shame on them all. I always wonder how these guys go to bed with peace being in power knowing that there are millions in the Country who don't even a peace of bread, never mind the roof on their heads.

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Rakaposhi

Jul 09, 2015 06:45pm

This is something I have been waiting for. Corruption is in the fabric of our society, I knew sooner or later PTI lawmakers will be guilty of same and than what will they do? I am very happy to see this arrest. this sets them apart from others. Well done and keep up the good work.

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Seemi

Jul 09, 2015 07:28pm

Sorry to disagree, but the the decision to ask for a resignation was a bit hasty. As the saying goes,'innocent till proven guilty.'

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Cyrus

Jul 09, 2015 07:49pm

@Malik Saab .... That's logical when you wan't to steal the land yourself.

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Saadahgul Khan

Jul 09, 2015 07:53pm

@Seemi --You are right. Suspension until the outcome of investigation would have been a fair action.

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irfan

Jul 09, 2015 08:06pm

As ever, the old dragons are left and the minuscules are arrested.

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Cyrus

Jul 09, 2015 08:36pm

@well_wisher1@hotmail.com ... The answer is vigilante justice if you can find one stand up guy in Sindh who isn't a terrorist. Mario Puso's Godfather told us we have to make our own justice in a corrupt society.

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Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali

Jul 09, 2015 09:03pm

Well done Captain. Thank you.

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khan

Jul 09, 2015 09:21pm

@Laeeq, NY ...isnt the outcome enough that minister have been defamed will be deseated and he ll follow the legal proceedings

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Israr

Jul 09, 2015 09:46pm

@naji It is completely unfair with PMLN that you don't even consider them a political group.

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khanm

Jul 09, 2015 09:49pm

PTI is in its infancy. 65 years of corruption cannot be washed away over night..nothing can be changed by storm, but it's going to be a gradual improvement. As long as they get rid of the bad elements..A lot of the changes are so gradual that they don't even qualify as news, or even as interesting: they're so mundane that we just take them for granted. But history shows that it's the mundane changes that are more important than the dramatic 'newsworthy' events.

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malick

Jul 09, 2015 10:02pm

End of time for corrupt leaders, politicians, ministers and beaurocrates.Well played IK and PTI.

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sam

Jul 09, 2015 11:11pm

let see what other parties do...

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Syed Ahmad

Jul 09, 2015 11:36pm

Well done

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Aurangzeb

Jul 10, 2015 01:11am

It happend in 2008 !

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Ahmed

Jul 10, 2015 01:55am

@SIKANDER SHALLWANI :Nab has also opened case of nawaz Sharif and Asirf zardari...they are not from small provinces...you are sick minded

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Naim

Jul 10, 2015 02:19am

In PTI you can't hide even you put a hat of PTI Shame to parcel rashid who said that He was standing along IK and now involved in corruption That what tabdeeli Mr Rasheed You won't understand Metro sarkaar don have that capacity to understand

Recommend 0

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