MULTAN: The district administration has started seeking details of properties owned by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his family in its jurisdiction on the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, in connection with a probe being conducted by the bureau.

NAB’s KP director general office, through a letter (No 1/34/(1079-32-332)IW-I/NAB(KP)/697) written to the Multan deputy commissioner on Dec 22, stated the bureau was conducting an inquiry against former National Assembly member Maulana Fazlur Rehman, his wife, two daughters, three sons, his two brothers and eight others “over the allegations of corruption, corrupt practice and accumulation of assets beyond means” under the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.

“The documents/information useful or relevant to the inquiry are in your control. Therefore, it is requested to provide complete certified and legible copies of details/record of properties (commercial/residential/agriculture) owned, purchased, sold or held by the individuals (list attached) in your jurisdiction as per the format along with part-e-sarkar, part-e-patwar, fards, annual agricultural income (if any) to combined investigation team of this bureau for examination by Dec 28, 2020, at NAB (KP), Peshawar.”

The DC has been asked to ensure accuracy of the submitted information, as concealment of facts and misreporting would attract penalties under the provision of NAO, 1999.

The anti-graft watchdog has sought complete information, including name of mauza and tehsil, nature of property, cost of acquisition (purchase) and date of acquisition by each owner.

The DC office sources said the assistant commissioners of all the four tehsils of the district -- l City, Saddar, Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujaabad -- have been ordered to provide the required information, after hecking the revenue record of the respective tehsils.

They said that checking the revenue record of four tehsils was a time-taking exercise, adding that as soon the reports from the ACs were received, the information would be dispatched to the NAB, KP.

MNA Asadur Rehman, a son of the JUI-F chief, resides in a house on Nawabpur Road.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2020