ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday decided to hold fresh inquiries against some politicians and bureaucrats, including former federal minister Akram Khan Durrani and former Sindh minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, for their alleged involvement in corruption.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the NAB’s executive board that was presided over by NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

The meeting also decided to file references against former federal minister Arbab Alamgir Khan and former adviser to the prime minister Asma Alamgir Khan. They have been accused of having assets beyond their known sources of income.

Former federal minister Akram Durrani among those to be investigated for corruption

The meeting approved filing of a corruption reference against Dr Ehsan Ali, former vice chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University, for alleged abuse of authority, illegal appointments and granting foreign scholarships to favourites, causing Rs483.76 million loss to the national kitty.

Inquiries have also been authorised against Dr Azam Hussain, former vice chancellor of the Peoples University of Medical and Health Services, Shaheed Benazirabad; Emad Shah Bukhari, Messrs Avenue Ventures; officers of Capital Development Authority (CDA); Nepra Power Plants; Public Power Generation Companies’ Central Power Generation Agency; officers of National Transmission and Distribution Company; Messrs Shahzada Security Company; Tehkal, Peshawar and others; officers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tourism department, revenue department and National Highway Authority (NHA); and a sub-engineer of provincial sub division, Khairpur, Syed Yasin Shah, contractor Agha Mohammad Pathan and others.

The meeting accorded approval to five investigations against various persons, including Senator Rubina Khalid, the management of Messrs Cosmos Production, Shaheed Benazirabad Bhutto University vice chancellor Dr Akhtar Baloch, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) managing director Asim Murtaza Khan, former chairman of the PPL’s board of directors Hidayatullah Pirzada, general manager of business development Abdul Wahid, PPL chief economist Rahat Hussain; revenue department and NHA officers, contractor Sardar Ashraf Baloch, former director general of provincial housing authority Abdul Haleem Piracha and former housing secretary Javed Ahmed Zakiullah.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2018