HYDERABAD, May 2: The chairman of the Anti-Corruption Establishment, a respondent in a petition, has defended initiation of an inquiry against the chairman of the District Zakat and Ushr Committee, Nawabshah, Prof Mohammad Ahmad Khan, under orders of the chief minister.

Through Sindh Additional Advocate General Masood A. Noorani, the ACE chairman filed his comments along with those of Nawabshah ACE circle officer Ali Asghar Qureshi.

The comments were filed on a petition, heard by the court on April 7, claiming that the adviser to the Sindh chief minister, Ghulam Rasool Unnar, had exerted pressure on the petitioner for disbursing Zakat among Pakistan Muslim League workers.

The petitioner alleged that when he refused to disburse Zakat to undeserving people for political reasons he was threatened with dire consequences by the adviser and the chief minister.

The petitioner sought protection, saying he was being harassed.

The ACE circle officer said a letter of the chief minister’s secretariat dated March 10 disclosed that the chief minister, after receiving a number of complaints against the petitioner regarding embezzlement of Zakat during his visit to Nawabshah, had directed the ACE to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit him a report as early as possible.