LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday arrested senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qasim Zia in a fraud case pertaining to 100 million rupees.

A spokesperson for the anti-corruption body told Dawn that the accused was arrested last night in the 100-million fraud case for cheating public at large.

"The accused has been apprehended on allegations of cheating public at large, misappropriation, embezzlement of funds and criminal breach of trust. The accused, along with other directors, fraudulently deprived general public of their hard earned money," said a spokesperson from NAB.

He was arrested for selling fraudulent shares of Ali Osman Securities of which he is one of the directors, the spokesperson further said, adding that another director of the company was also arrested.

A number of people had filed complaints with NAB over which they held an initial inquiry and arrested the accused persons, the spokesperson added.

The accountability court handed the accused persons on a 14-day physical remand to the investigating team.

Elected twice from Faisalabad’s constituency PP-59, Zia served as a member of Punjab Assembly from 2002-2007, and from 2008-2013.

He functioned as Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly during his earlier term from 2002-2007.

Zia was appointed president of Pakistan Hockey Federation in 2008 and served as the federation's chief till 2013. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist in the field of hockey, and also remained a member of the Pakistan's national hockey team from 1980-87.

Additional reporting by Mateen Haider

Opinion

Editorial

The Peca problem
Updated 15 Feb, 2025

The Peca problem

The fight for fundamental freedoms is not the media’s alone, but one that concerns every citizen.
Miners in danger
15 Feb, 2025

Miners in danger

YESTERDAY’S devastating terrorist attack in Harnai, which killed at least 11 coal miners and injured seven others,...
Solar panels scam
15 Feb, 2025

Solar panels scam

THE scam involving over-invoicing to the tune of more than Rs69bn in the import of solar panels raises many ...
Dangerous times
Updated 14 Feb, 2025

Dangerous times

Pakistan accounted for six journalist killings in 2024, of which three were deliberately murdered, according to the CPJ.
Difficult target
14 Feb, 2025

Difficult target

A ONE-two punch delivered by an unforeseen, sharp dip in inflation and an extremely slim base of taxpayers is...
Amazing show
14 Feb, 2025

Amazing show

PAKISTAN’S ability to turn it up at the flick of a switch remains uninhibited. The latest show came in...