Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday claimed that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has given him "a clean chit" in a case pertaining to the lease of 275 acres of Malam Jabba's forest land to a private firm during the previous government's tenure.

Khan, who was the minister for sports, irrigation and tourism during Pervez Khattak's cabinet, told the media that it was his "first and last appearance before NAB" in this case.

He clarified that he had not been charged directly in any case and that he was summoned in the capacity of a former provincial minister.

"I was not aware about the lease nor had I signed any order allowing the lease," Khan said.

When asked about the merit of the case, the chief minister defended the government's decision of leasing the forest land, saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government encouraged investment.

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