LAHORE, July 22: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered revenue and police departments to remove 160 officials facing corruption cases from their posts and make them OSDs.

He was presiding over a meeting to discuss performance and scope of Punjab Anti-corruption Establishment at the Chief Minister's Secretariat, a handout said.

The chief minister said he would not allow ACE to sit idle while officials facing corruption cases moved freely on bail and continued to occupy their posts.

He ordered removal of 91 officials of revenue department and 69 of police from their posts and their appointment as OSDs. Theses officials were working on their posts despite registration of corruption cases against them.

He said as AEC registered case against an official only after corruption charges against him or her were proved in a formal inquiry, therefore allowing such a person to continue work on the same post was strange.

The chief minister directed secretary of prosecution department and ACE director general to pursue the corruption cases energetically so that bails of the accused could be got cancelled.

He also sought suggestions for amendment in the law for extending the scope of ACE to corporations and autonomous bodies.