Land lease irregularities: NAB KP arrests two top officials

PESHAWAR:  The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has taken into custody two officials, including Additional Commissioner Kohat Hidayatullah, in connection with alleged irregularities related to the leasing of 300 kanal (37.5 acres) land owned by the Auqaf Department.

The NAB also arrested Sher Afzal, the manager of the Awqaf Department. Both arrests were executed during the officials’ duty hours, according to NAB sources.

The NAB sources said that the arrested officers have committed irregularities during the leasing process, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs836 million to the provincial exchequer.

The irregularities pertained to the leasing of a significant portion of land owned by the Auqaf Department, the sources said.

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Later, the NAB presented the detained officers before the accountability court. The accountability court judge remanded the two officers in NAB’s custody for seven days.

NAB sources indicated that additional arrests were anticipated in connection with this ongoing case.

Meanwhile, the PMS Officers’ Association, a body representing civil bureaucracy officers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has raised concerns regarding the manner in which the arrests were carried out.

In a letter dispatched to the KP chief secretary, the association said that NAB KP arrested the additional commissioner Kohat in a manner that was akin to kidnapping.

The letter further emphasised that the KP chief secretary’s consent had not been sought before the arrest was executed. It additionally pointed out that civil officers have reportedly been subject to a pattern of alleged blackmailing over an extended period.

The association urged the chief secretary to take decisive measures to safeguard the dignity and professional integrity of civil officers.

Responding to the concerns expressed by the PMS association, NAB officials issued a statement underlining that every individual was subject to the law and no one was exempt from accountability.