MULTAN: A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Executive Board meeting on Wednesday approved inquiry against a former chief minister, a federal minister and a former commissioner of Bahawalpur.

Although the official handout issued by the NAB on Wednesday did not provide any other information regarding the accused persons and the case, sources in the NAB Multan told Dawn that the inquiry had been approved against former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, former federal minister Baleeghur Rehman, former Bahawalpur commissioner Muhammad Khan Khichi and others over the bogus allotment of 27-kanal state land.

They said the office building of a government department existed on the land when the possession was given to a bogus allottee (a woman) by demolishing the office building at Satellite Town, Bahawalpur.

Malik Waheed, the spokesman for the NAB, was not available for comment despite several attempts.

The NAB has yet to complete another inquiry against Mr Sharif, Baleeghur Rehman, Multan commissioner Javed Akhtar Mahmood and others in connection with alleged illegal allotment of 14,400 kanal state land to 144 people.

Pakistan Awami Ehtesab Party chairman Ghulam Rasool Khan had lodged a complaint with the bureau on Nov 22, 2018, while stating that the allottees were not among the affected people of the park.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2021