LAHORE: On the report of Sargodha deputy commissioner, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has registered an FIR against father of PML-N MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha and a patwari allegedly for causing a heavy loss to exchequer through “shady” land transfer and evading fee.

As per ACE sources, MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjah, his brother Hasan Ranjah and their father Shahnawaz Ranjah are accused of causing millions of rupees loss to the exchequer by evading property transfer fees.

An ACE official told Dawn that action against the Ranjah family had been initiated on the report of Sargodha deputy commissioner.

“An FIR has been registered against Shahnawaz Ranjah and Amin Patwari under sections 420, 468, 471, 477 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with section 5)2)47 of PCA. Mohsin Ranjah and Hasan Ranjah are made part of the investigation, but at this stage they are not being nominated in the FIR,” he said.

According to the DC’s report, suspicious transactions were observed in the exchange mutations of mouza Bbehk Lurka and Ghous Mohammad Wala, pointed out in a source report. “During inspection of the record it has come to fore that the corresponding mutations, land measuring 1,574 kanals, in mouza Bbehk Lurka have not been made against those mentioned in the record of mauza Ghous Mohammad Wala. The agricultural land located in mouza Ghous Mohammad Wala has been exchanged with the land situated in Abadi Deh of mouza Behik Lurka. The land in mouza Ghous Mohammad Wala has been purchased but the transaction in the revenue record shown as exchange instead of sale/purchase mutation.”

The ACE official further said the suspect, Shahnawaz Rnajah, illegally transferred 1,574 kanal land to his sons and wife. “The main suspect also concealed his sources of income,” he added.

The ACE had also recently booked senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif’s wife on the charges of illegally establishing a housing project in his hometown Sialkot. It also constituted a case against a former PML-N MNA from Multan, Abdul Ghaffar Dogar, for alleged forgery and illegal occupation of a piece of land.

PML-N said after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the PTI government had tasked the ACE to hunt the opposition, especially the PML-N.

PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah alleged the ACE had been activated only to stop the opposition from holding protest rallies against the selected government. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s drive would not stop what may come, he asserted.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020