DND News
PESHAWAR, October 20: Following the imposition of Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under constitutional provisions that ended PTI 13-year rule in the province, allegations of corruption and misuse of public resources are coming to light, with investigations into various cases raising further questions about the management of the provincial exchequer.
One of the cases now under investigation concerns Provincial Housing Minister Dr Amjad Ali, who is accused of accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income, facilitating the illegal appointment of relatives to key positions within the Housing Authority, and benefiting from irregularities in government housing projects.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has expanded the scope of its investigation into assets beyond known sources of income against the provincial minister, with particular attention to the construction of the billion-rupee ‘Mega City Nowshera’ project on land situated along the Kabul River.
According to details emerging from the ongoing investigation, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Housing Authority possesses neither the legal title, including transfer documents, nor physical possession of the land earmarked for the project.
The findings have raised questions about how a project of such magnitude proceeded without the Housing Authority possessing the required legal ownership documents and physical control of the land.
NAB had requested the Director General and Project Director of Mega City Nowshera to provide details of properties held in the names of 31 relatives of Dr Amjad Ali. However, the requested information was not provided. The former Secretary and former Director General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Housing Authority have also been accused of benefiting from corruption by illegally acquiring residential properties in the project.
According to a notice issued by NAB to former Director Imran Wazir, the accountability bureau has sought complete details and records of written agreements dated February 15, 16 and 22, 2022, concluded between the Chief Executive of Lead Private Limited and the provincial Housing Minister.
NAB has also sought the names and National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers of committee members who participated in a joint visit to the project site on February 24, 2022, along with the relevant note sheets and other written documents.
The bureau has demanded the complete original record of Mega City Nowshera, covering site surveys, land acquisition, technical and financial matters, and correspondence and written documents exchanged with the Irrigation Department, Tehsil Municipal Administration, Agriculture Department and other relevant departments under the joint venture.
Additionally, NAB has sought details of notices issued to Leaf Private Limited under the Joint Venture Regulations 2021. The demand for these records forms part of the expanded investigation into the project and the alleged irregularities surrounding its establishment and administration.
NAB has also requested details of assets, particularly the purchase and sale of residential, commercial and industrial plots, land and units, held in the names of Dr Amjad Ali, his close relatives, and 31 family members comprising 20 men and 11 women.
According to the notice, flat No. A04 on the third floor of the high-rise flats at Warsak-1 was allotted to Ms “S”, the daughter of the provincial minister. In view of this allotment, NAB has sought comprehensive details of the purchase and sale of residential, commercial and industrial plots or units held in the names of the minister’s other male and female family members.
The inquiry into properties held by the minister and his relatives is linked to allegations that assets were accumulated beyond known sources of income. NAB is also investigating allegations concerning the appointment of the minister’s relatives to key positions within the Housing Authority.
The investigation has also brought the former Secretary of Housing and the former Director General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Housing Authority under scrutiny over their acquisition of residential accommodation in the project. According to the available details, both officials acquired accommodation for themselves in violation of the applicable rules and regulations.
A committee was subsequently constituted to examine the matter. The committee declared the actions of the former Secretary and the former Director General illegal or in violation of the relevant rules and regulations.
The alleged acquisition of residential properties by senior officials has added another dimension to the investigation into the Mega City Nowshera project and the administration of the provincial Housing Authority.
Separately, information has surfaced that Dr Amjad Ali had been using 12 official vehicles, with some of these vehicles allegedly being used by his relatives, who also benefited from official fuel-refilling orders. These information have raised further questions about the use of government vehicles and fuel resources by public officeholders and their families. These allegations require examination alongside the broader questions concerning the use of public resources and the management of provincial assets.
Former Director Imran Wazir confirmed that NAB was conducting an investigation into the matter but said he could not offer any opinion on it at this stage.
The expanded inquiry into Mega City Nowshera is focused on land ownership, joint-venture agreements, departmental records, property transactions involving the minister’s family, and the alleged irregular acquisition of residential accommodation by former senior Housing Authority officials.
The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations against the minister and other individuals remain subject to the findings of the accountability bureau and the relevant legal process.
