The National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter has summoned KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan for questioning in an investigation regarding the lease of a vast piece of forest land in Malam Jabba, a scenic hill station in Swat valley, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

The chief minister has been asked to appear before the bureau's investigation team on December 17, NAB KP spokesperson Salma Begum said, adding that Khan was the tourism and sports minister during the time that the land was leased out.

She said NAB KP had also sent notices to senior minister for tourism and sports Mohammad Atif Khan and Senator Mohsin Aziz to appear before the bureau on Friday in the same case.

According to NAB sources, the contractor of the Malam Jabba ski resort, said to be a relative of Atif and Aziz, was a member of the lease awarding committee.

Former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak, former chief secretary Amjad Ali Khan and the prime minister's principal secretary Azam Khan have already recorded their statements in the case.

Official sources said a total of 275 kanal of forest land was leased out to a private firm in Malam Jabba after bypassing legal formalities.

"Leasing out forest land is illegal and our team is investigating the hands behind the illegal lease," an official told DawnNewsTV.

When contacted, KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the chief minister had not received any notice from NAB summoning him in the Malam Jabba case. He added that the chief minister will "fully follow the law".