LAHORE, Oct 23: Punjab education secretary Sibtain Fazle Haleem has expressed his inability to complete the inquiry into the theft of five rare manuscripts from Lahore Museum because of the heavy workload in his own department.

The inquiry, directed against former Lahore Museum acting director Anjum Rehmani and others, was entrusted to Mr Haleem reportedly under the Punjab Removal from Service (Special Powers) Ordinance 2000, which required it to be completed in 25 days.

Officials in the parent information department said the inquiry had now been given to Lahore Museum director Liaquat Ali Niazi with directions to complete it within the stipulated time. They said the secretary had covered a major portion of the inquiry.

The manuscripts were apparently stolen on June 28 last year, but the theft was detected the next day.

Mr Rehmani informed the then secretary (information) Taimur Azmat Osman about the theft through a fax message, indicating that a case had also been filed with the police concerned.

The secretary took a serious notice of the incident and ordered an inquiry through a deputy secretary of his department. Mr Rehmani was removed from the post of the acting director.