KARACHI, Feb 24: Maj-Gen Farooq Ahmad, the investigator appointed by the prime minister to look into the controversy involving the Sindh Chief Minister, Dr Arbab Rahim, and the sacked revenue minister, Imtiaz Shaikh, held a meeting with Mr Shaikh at the State Guest House on Thursday.

The one-to-one meeting lasted about two hours. Gen Farooq also held a separate meeting with Mr Maqbool Shaikh, who too is facing the charges of corruption and land grabbing along with Mr Imtiaz Shaikh.

The investigator is scheduled to meet Chief Secretary Aslam Sanjrani, a senior member of the Board of Revenue (Land Utilization) and the other concerned officials whose names had been mentioned by the two sides in the controversy during their respective presentations, it is reliably learnt.

When asked about his meeting with Gen Farooq, Imtiaz Shaikh told Dawn that he had recorded his statement with regard to the allegations levelled against him by the chief minister. He said that he had not yet been provided with any notice containing the charges. If made available to me in writing, the charges would be responded in writing, he added.

He, however, rejected the chief minister's allegations as 'baseless' and 'unfounded', reiterating his stand: "The matter of land allotments doesn't fall in the jurisdiction of the departments he had been heading. Rather it relates to the land utilization department which continues to be with the chief minister."

According to Mr Shaikh, he told the one-man fact-finding team that he himself was preparing a charge-sheet against the chief minister and the same would be sent to the PML chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as well as the Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz.

Challenging the chief minister's claim that Mr Shaikh had been having many Shell petrol pumps in his name, the former minister said: "I offer you to get the claim verified from the Shell company; and if confirmed, I would keep one of them and transfer all the others to Dr Arbab Rahim."

In reply to a question, Mr Shaikh said that he had forwarded a written request through Gen Farooq for curtailing the investigation period from 30 days to one week or so.

He also stated that all the questions faxed to him by PML Secretary General Mushahid Hussain, had been replied and sent to him. After his meeting with Gen Farooq, Imtiaz Shaikh called on Pir Pagara at the latter's residence and remained with him for half-an-hour.

Mr Shaikh, according to sources, also met the National People's Party chief Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi at the latter's residence. When asked if he was leaving for Islamabad, Mr Shaikh replied that he would be attending the Sindh Assembly session beginning on Friday.