LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked more Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) officials, including its former chief Siddiqul Farooq, for their alleged role in irregularities in the sale of urban properties.

According to the FIA, a case has been registered against Siddiqul Farooq who is associated with the PML-N, former administrator Zakaullah Sumbal, former deputy administrator Muhammad Ishaq and Bani Ameen (lessee) under sections 409, 420, 109 PPC r/w 5(2)47 PCA for their alleged involvement in illegal auction of plots.

Another FIR has also been registered against Babar Bajwa and Abdul Rauf Tahir (lessee), administrator Saeed Anwar and deputy administrator Abdullah Awais under similar sections.

The FIA has already registered a case against another former ETPB chairman Asif Hashmi who is associated with the PPP for illegal allotment of urban land.

The FIA had launched a probe into alleged irregularities in the sale of urban properties by the ETPB on the direction of the Supreme Court.

A two-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, over two weeks ago, heard a petition filed by Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) patron Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, complaining that the apex court’s directives about protection of properties belonging to minority communities were not being implemented.

The court ordered the FIA to conduct the inquiry in a month.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2021