MULTAN: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Multan, recovered Rs688.61 million from the corrupt elements during the last five months.

According to an official handout issued here on Wednesday, the NAB, Multan, in the first year of its establishment achieved a remarkable success in nabbing the corrupt in southern Punjab.

It stated that the NAB also confiscated properties worth Rs322.38m from the accused persons.

“At least Rs150.82m have been recovered through voluntary returns, Rs24.18m through plea bargains and Rs174.49m through direct recoveries,” it stated.

It said the NAB had started the process of formulating prevention committees on the canal irrigation system, gunny bags and illegal occupation of the state land.

“The NAB Multan, under the command of retired Brig Farooq Naser Awan, is also actively pursuing mega inquiries worth Rs17.123 billion which includes inquiry against an additional secretary of the ministry of finance and economic affairs division, NBP pension scam fraud case, Wapda Employees Cooperative Housing Society, officials of irrigation department, MDA and former MPA Malik Muhammad Rafiq Khar,” the handout stated.

The inquiry against MPA Malik Khar had been initiated in 2014 according to which the MPA in connivance with revenue officials had allegedly committed corrupt practices, misused his authority, forged state revenue record, and illegally allotted state land in his and his sons’ names.

Mobile library: A mobile library by the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agriculture University (MNSAU) will visit eight schools to promote reading habit among the students.

MNSAU Vice Chancellor Dr Asif Ali said this at the concluding session of a three-day book fair by the university on its main campus on Wednesday.

Dr Ali said the service would serve Government Nusratul Islam High School, Government Bukhari Public High School, Government High School near New Central Jail, Government High School at Hamidpur Kanora, Government Girls’ School near New Central Jail, Government Elementary School at Basti Khokhran, Government Elementary School at Farooqpura and Government Girls’ Elementary School at Qayum-Nawazwala.

He said during the week-long activities, books would be provided to the schoolchildren on behalf of the university to encourage them to read books.

He said the book fair aimed at providing a platform to enhance interaction among academia, students and researchers that would help increase their knowledge.

He said that great nations took interest in book reading to increases their knowledge because without knowledge no nation could achieve progress and prosperity.

Up to 150 book stalls were established in the book fair in which over 200,000 books on agriculture, history, religion, general knowledge, science, medicine, Urdu and English literature, sports and fashion were put on display.

At the concluding session, five students were provided free books.

Published in Dawn October 20th, 2016