LAHORE: The Punjab government has ordered a formal inquiry and disciplinary proceedings, under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act, 2006, against 10 Auqaf department officials, including former secretary/chief administrator Dr Tahir Raza Bukhari, over allegedly unlawful auction and unauthorised conversion of valuable Waqf property situated at Sufiabad, Main Ferozepur Road, Lahore.

As per the government notification issued by the Confidential-III Section of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD), South Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Fawad Hashim Rabbani (PAS/BS-21) has been appointed as inquiry officer. He is required to submit a comprehensive inquiry report along with his findings and recommendations, to the competent authority within 60 days.

The action approved by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, acting as the competent authority, follows the findings of an inquiry report submitted by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT).

The case concerns 15 kanals and 15 marlas of Waqf land, where serious allegations had surfaced regarding violations of the approved 2023 policy, misuse of official authority, irregularities in the auction and lease process, unauthorised change of land use and causing financial loss to the national exchequer.

According to the CMIT inquiry findings, ex-secretary Dr Bukhari allegedly approved the auction of an additional 15 marlas, beyond the prescribed limit of 15 kanals, despite written objections raised by the legal officer concerned.

The ex-secretary is also accused of permitting the conversion of the approved commercial land use of a marquee into a petrol station and a fast-food outlet on Jan 8, 2025, without initiating a fresh auction or ensuring a transparent competitive process.

Other allegations include suspending the acting deputy director (Estate-II) for raising objections, transferring possession without executing a legally valid lease agreement and waiving the contractual provision for a 10pc annual increase in rent.

The notification also names former director estate Waseem Abbas, former Auqaf Lahore Zone East administrator Ashfaq Diyal and former manager of Auqaf Circle No. 6 Hafiz Moezur Rehman. They are alleged to have supervised or facilitated the irregular auction, endorsed the allocation of additional land in violation of the prescribed policy, transferred possession without a lawful agreement, obtained an unauthorised undertaking for the petrol station and failed to ensure recovery of the stipulated annual rental increase.

Five members of the Auqaf Head Office Committee – Director Projects Rafiq Noor, Director Finance Tahir Ahmad, former deputy director (admin) Asif Ijaz, Auqaf Deputy Director Ayaz Ahmad Habib and Assistant Director (Religious Affairs) Israr Ahmad, have also been nominated for their alleged involvement in processing and approving the auction of the additional 15 marlas in contravention of the approved policy.

Assistant Director (Estate/Registration) Qazi Abdul Razzaq also faces allegations of recording misleading information in the minutes of the committee meetings, advancing approvals for the petrol station and fast-food outlet without an appropriate site plan or essential groundwork, and involvement in other procedural irregularities.

All nominated officials have been directed to submit their written defence within seven days of receiving the notification, failing which further proceedings may be initiated in accordance withthelaw. The director estate and deputy director (admin) of the Punjab Auqaf Organisation have also been designated as departmental representatives for the proceedings.

Dr Bukhari is already facing inquiries for his alleged roles in the illegal allotment of a government-reserved Khateeb residence to a private person and subsequent uncalled-for payment of Rs8.162 million in compensation to that individual against the government property, besides alleged financial irregularities in public funds. Recovery of around Rs34 million from him has also been recommended.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2026