DERA GHAZI KHAN: An anti-corruption court on Saturday acquitted Punjab’s former chief minister Usman Buzdar, his late father and his brothers in a fake land allotment case after the investigators of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) declared them innocent in a report submitted to the court.

The case of fake allotment was registered by the ACE against Mr Buzdar and others on the complaint of a resident of DG Khan.

The accused had already been granted interim bail in the case by the court.

The case was heard by Special Anti-Corruption Judge Naveed Ahmad Qureshi.

The ACE team investigating the matter submitted its report to the court, declaring the accused innocent.

The report said that half of the nominated accused, including Usman Buzdar’s father Fateh Muhammad Buzdar had died when the probe was conducted.

During the hearing of the case in the court, ECA Deputy Director (investigation) Muhammad Athar Mahmood Kanjo stated that the charges could not be proved against the accused in the investigation.

On the basis of ACE report and statement of the investigation team head, the court disposed of the fake land allotment case, acquitting the accused.

Buzdar’s counsel Maher Fida Hussain Advocate and Bahram KhanBuzdar Advocate told the reporters that after the court’s verdict, they would withdraw their clients’ bail petitions.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2022