MULTAN: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif to reply till May 18 to a questionnaire in connection with the allegedly illegal allotment of 14,400 kanal state land to 144 affectees of the Lal Sohanra National Park, Bahawalpur.

Besides Mr Sharif, former federal minister Baleeghur Rehman, Advocate Chaudhry Umer Mahmood and officer and officials of the Cholistan Development Authority are also being probed in the case.

In December, the NAB executive board authorised inquiry into 15 complaints, including the Lal Sohanra Park case wherein state land was allotted illegally to people.

“NAB is conducting the subject inquiry under the provision of NAO 1999 in the matter of illegal allotment of state land measuring 14,400 kanals to 144 people as effectees (sic) of Lal Sohanra National Park, Bahawalpur. In this regard, please find enclosed herewith a questionnaire elaborating your role in the said allotment and queries to be responded through written statement furnished to this bureau by May 18, 2020,” stated the notice issued by NAB Multan Additional Director Staff Syed Rizwan Hussain Shah to Mr Sharif on May 6.

According to NAB sources, the Lal Sohanra National Park was established over 163,000 acres in 1975, but compensatory land was allotted to the affectees many years later. In 2012, a list of 238 affectees had been notified and later 12.5 acre each was distributed among 144 affectees, some bogus names. The land was also distributed among those born even after the establishment of the park.

Reacting to the issuance of notice to Mr Sharif, PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb called the NAB notice a comedy, saying the notice was one of the many episodes of NAB-Niazi collusion.

“Corruption of not even a single penny was proved in the false allegations of corruption of billions. Now the NAB-Niazi collusion should be ashamed of making a case of an incident from 1976. Former federal minister Baleeghur Rehman is also being victimised for his loyalty with the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif by being issued a notice,” she added.

“By making this case, it has been proved that all cases initiated against Shahbaz are false and political victimisation. This case is another joke after the cases of Saaf Pani, Ashiyana Housing Scheme, sewerage drain, 56 companies, Daily Mail, Multan Metro Bus, assets beyond means and money laundering,” she stated.

She said the land was given to the affectees through proper departmental process.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2020