GUJRAT: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Monday arrested a close aide of the Chaudhrys of PML-Q, Nadeem Akhtar Malhi, for allegedly causing a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer through a contract of sand excavation from the Chenab river.

ACE Gujrat Deputy Director Afzal Hayat Tarrar told Dawn that a team arrested Malhi as soon as he came out of the Gujranwala anti-corruption court where he had appeared in another case lodged against him on the same charges in July. Former additional deputy commissioner revenue (ADCR) Dr Rani Hafsa Kanwal was a co-accused in the case.

In the fresh case lodged under sections 420 and 409 of the PPC and 5/2/47 PCA on the report of Gujranwala ACE Assistant Sub-Inspector Muhammad Ishaq on Nov 14, apart from Malhi, former ADCR Dr Kanwal, Mines and Minerals Assistant Director Usman Manzoor, Superintendent Inspector of the department Ziaul Islam and Environment Protection Assistant Director Umar Ashraf have also been nominated.

According to the first information report (FIR), the suspects have been accused of holding an auction of Kot Ghulam block of River Chenab on Aug 15, 2018 without following rules and regulations as only one party, Nadeem Malhi, participated in the bidding process and other registered bidders were either not informed or allowed to attend the proceedings.

The auction proceedings were not conducted transparently and fairly, causing a huge loss to the national exchequer, the FIR added. The ACE is yet to arrest the four remaining suspects in the case.

Earlier, ADCR Kanwal had been suspended from service after she was booked in graft cases by the ACE. She had been arrested and sent to jail in a case of illegal transfer of 40 kanals of state land to some private people. Later, she was released on bail; she had also been on pre-arrest bail in the previous case of illegal award of sand lifting along with Mr Malhi.

The administrations of Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin, which are considered PML-Q bastions, had been changed in the wake of both these graft cases and other affairs, as PTI lawmakers had lodged complaints with the prime minister regarding the performance of police and administration officials in these districts.

After he was booked previously, Malhi had alleged that he was being victimised for being close to the Chaudhrys and that he had been affiliated with the sand excavation business for 30 years and the charges against him were baseless.

Moreover, officials of mines and minerals and environment protection departments have also been booked in the fresh case. Portfolios of these departments in the provincial cabinet were being held by PML-Q ministers Hafiz Ammar Yasir and Bao Rizwan, respectively.

The arrest of a close aide of the PML-Q may harm its ties with the ruling party in Punjab as well as the Centre. The top leadership of both parties have not met for almost a year indicating tension between them.

PML-Q lawmakers had not even attended two receptions hosted by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the honour of lawmakers from coalition parties.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2020