MULTAN: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested former PML-N MNA Abdul Ghaffar Dogar on Sunday on the charges of forgery and illegal occupation of a piece of land.

Mr Dogar was arrested when a PML-N delegation, led by Rana Sanaullah, was in Multan to finalise the arrangements for the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s rally. The PML-N is making preparations for the rally, scheduled on Nov 30, in collaboration with a PPP delegation, led by its south Punjab President Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood.

On Nov 14, the deputy commissioner sent a reference to the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to inquire into the charges against Mr Dogar, alleging that he was involved in forged documents of a piece of one kanal land, causing a loss to the government and a private bank.

Case was registered on Saturday ahead of PDM rally in Multan

The DC, as an ex-officio deputy director of the ACE, stated one Muhammad Bashir had submitted an application against Dogar, stating that Kaneez Akhtar had sold the land in Mauza Juma Khalsa on July 28, 2001 to one Bushra Sultana who sold the land to Muhammad Javed on Aug 15, 2003. Javed constructed a house on it by mortgaging the land in favour of the bank to obtain loan. However, the bank after Javed defaulted on the loan, went for auctioning the house on direction of the Banking Court. Mr Dogar did not let the auction be completed on account of a fake agreement of the purchase of the land, dating back to April 15, 1998.

The complainant alleged that the agreement of Mr Dogar was antedated to stop the recovery by the bank. The plot was still mortgaged in the favour of the bank while a stay in respect of civil suit, titled as Abdul Ghaffar Dogar verses Kaneez Akhtar, was also launched.

Terming the sale agreement of Mr Dogar bogus, the DC stated that “it is evident that the agreement of Mr Dogar appears to be prepared in back date”.

The FIR was lodged by the ACE on Saturday (Nov 14) while he was arrested on Sunday.

PML-N Vice President Mariam Nawaz shared the pictures of Mr Dogar with her and with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a tweet while stating that the public gathering in Multan would be held as per its schedule.

“The only crime of Abdul Ghaffar Dogar is that he is the flag-bearer of the narrative of Nawaz Sharif. The puppet and selected government could not lower the moral of our workers (sic),” she stated.

PML-N Deputy Secretary General Attaullah Tarrar said, “The FIR has been lodged on a 30-year old land dispute and the only fault of Mr Dogar is that he was busy in the arrangements for the public gathering. DG ACE has become the member of the PTI as the ACE is victimizing the PML-N members across the province”.

Rana Sana said the ACE had violated the sanctity of privacy during the raid at the house of Mr Dogar at the time of Fajar prayers.

Addressing a joint press conference the leadership of PDM, including Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmad Khan of the PPP, Azma Bokhari of the PML-N and others announced that the public gathering would be held at any cost.

It is pertinent to mention that Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was in the town when the FIR was lodged.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2020