NAROWAL: An alleged corruption scandal involving over Rs1 billion in the Punjab Highway Department funds has surfaced, involving multiple senior officials in Narowal.

Punjab Communications and Works (C&W) Secretary Sohail Ashraf has ordered an inquiry under the Peeda Act 2006 against four officers, including two executive engineers (EXEN), following reports of extensive misappropriations.

The initial investigation stemmed from complaints received by the secretary regarding suspected collusion among officials in the Punjab Highway Department’s Narowal division. The inquiry targets Muhammad Samiullah, Building Division EXEN in Lodhran (previously EXEN in Narowal), Saba Afzal, EXEN in Gujranwala (with additional charge as EXEN in Narowal), retired sub-divisional officer Khalid Mahmood from Shakargarh and Sub-Engineer Waseem Ahmad from Narowal.

The officers allegedly paid advance amounts to contractors and used government funds to construct substandard roads, often in violation of official guidelines. The report says that some road projects existed only on paper, with funds misappropriated under the guise of project expenses.

The C&W secretary had previously appointed Shahid Mahmood, chief engineer of building (Central Zone) Lahore, to conduct a preliminary inquiry, which confirmed the allegations.

Following the initial findings, the secretary has appointed Saqib Rahim, chief engineer of the Punjab Monitoring and Evaluation Department, to lead a comprehensive investigation, with a detailed report expected within 60 days.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024