ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed two references against Gilgilt-Baltistan’s forest department for violating the Timber Disposal Policy. In another case, the bureau arrested the owner of a car showroom for cheating the public at large.

According to the bureau’s spokesman, NAB Rawalpindi’s sub-office in Gilgit filed the reference in the GB accountability court against the officers concerned of the forest department.

Former conservator in Gilgit Muhammad Ismail Zafar, divisional forest officer in Astore Saleemullah Khan, former range forest officer Qadar Jan, forest lessee Maskeen Faqeer and Riaz Hakeem are accused of transporting illegally cut timber from Minar Forest (C-10) and Makhley Forest (C-46). By doing so, they violated the Timber Disposal Policy, 2013, causing a loss of over Rs113 million to the exchequer.

In the other case, the NAB Gilgit sub-office filed a reference in the accountability court against some other officials of the department.

District forest officer Saleemullah Khan, superintendent Fareedullah Khan and forest lessee Abdul Wakeel are accused of transporting illegally cut timber from the Chilas forest division without collection of fine in violation of the policy which resulted in a loss of more than Rs43m.

Meanwhile, NAB Rawalpindi arrested the owner of Suzuki Chaudary Motors, Rawalpindi/Islamabad.

Dawood Khalid cheated people by receiving huge amount of money from them in the name of “showroom pool investment”, a mode of investment under which profit is given to the investors on a monthly basis.

The accused reportedly embezzled an amount of Rs86.694m.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2018