ATTOCK, Jan 2: District Nazim Tahir Sadik Khan has served legal notices on six top Punjab government functionaries, including Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shehbaz Sharif, for “publishing public notice in the newspapers with serious defamatory, misleading and baseless allegations of corruption” against him.

Other officials to whom the notice has issued are Provincial Minister for Local Government and Community Development (CD) Sardar Dost

Muhammad Khan Khosa,

Chief Secretary Javed

Mahmood, Secretary LG and CD Suhail Aamir, Secretary Information Department Nadeem Hassan Asif and Director General Public Relations Mohyuddin Wani.

According to the notice that was provided to mediapersons on Friday, the nazim through his counsel Mubeenuddin Qazi has asked the functionaries to issue apology in the newspapers and pay Rs1 billion to him and give an undertaking that such “allegations” would not be repeated in future.

In case on non-compliance with the notice in seven days, the nazim threatened to initiate legal proceedings against them.

The nazim in his notice said a media campaign had been launched against him and termed it a political victimisation.

He said the campaign was being carried out with public expenses for personal and political gains and that it was abuse of power and authority on the part of these officials.

He said the allegations against him were quite premature as the audit reports of alleged misappropriations were yet to be placed before the Accounts Committee and district council.

The nazim said the district coordination officer (DCO) was the principal account officer of the district government and he was also head of the district administration, whereas the executive district officers (EDOs) are heads of district offices.