HYDERABAD: Accountability court judge on Wednesday fixed March 8 for framing charges against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA and former Sindh minister for local bodies Jam Khan Shoro, his brother and 16 others in a reference of occupying Rs5.02bn worth government land in a fraudulent manner.

All the 18 accused including MPA Jam Khan; his brother and ex-chairman of Qasimabad Municipal Committee Kashif Shoro; officers of government and Hyderabad Development Authority including Sajjad Hyder, Shahid Pervez Memon, Akhtar Shaikh, Bachal Rahupoto and others, who had obtained interim bail from the apex court, were present in the court when the judge announced the date.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the reference on Feb 17 after over one and a half years. The bureau had started the inquiry in June 2019.

NAB investigators concluded that the accused in connivance with each other and by misusing authority, usurped precious government land admeasuring 20-13 acres valued at Rs5.02bn in Qasimabad taluka by fraudulently swapping its record with privately owned tract of land.

According to the reference, the occupied land was reserved for headworks of irrigation department.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2021