*LAHORE: The arrest of the former DCO Lahore and the former DGA LDA AhadCheema has sent shockwave across the Punjab Bureaucracy. The bureaucracy inPunjab was considered invincible under the Sharifs regime and wasconsidered as untouchables with the patronage of their bosses. *
*However the myth of the Punjab Bureacracy has been broken by the NationalAccountability Bureau. Sharifs have been ruling Punjab for last threedecades with the help of the strong bureaucracy with an informal guaranteethat it will not be touched by the state institutions. *
*However National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday arrested formerDirector General Lahore Development Authority (LDA) for allegedirregularities in the Ashiana housing scheme.*
Ahad Cheema, who is now serving as chief executive of the Punjab PowerCompany, was arrested from his office located in Gulberg area. He has beenshifted to the NAB office in Thokhar Niaz Baig area of Lahore.
NAB is currently investigating irregularities worth one billion rupees inthe Ashiana housing scheme. Previously, Punjab Chief Minister ShahbazSharif and the prime minister’s principal secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad haveappeared before the anti-graft watchdog.
Ahad Cheema has also appeared twice before NAB, and was asked to submitcertain documents but he failed to do, and was subsequently apprehended byNAB officials.
On Friday, prime minister’s principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad appearedbefore the NAB Lahore to record his statement. He was questioned by thebureau’s combined investigation team (CIT) with regard to his allegedinvolvement in awarding a contract to a firm in violation of the relevantlaws.
Earlier on January 22, the anti-graft body questioned Punjab Chief MinisterShahbaz Sharif in the same case.
The chief minister has been accused of illegally meddling in the affairs ofthe Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) that caused over Rs one billionloss to the national exchequer.
According to the NAB notice, an inquiry against officials of the PunjabLand Development Company (PLDC) and LDA revealed that “prima facie ShahbazSharif, being the Chief Minister Punjab, had ordered certain illegal actsin sheer violation of the laid down procedures for functioning of PLDC dueto which the company bore a huge financial loss.”
“Shahbaz had ordered cancellation of contract of Aashiana-e-Iqbal to asuccessful bidder, leading to award of the contract to other builder, whichresulted into a loss of Rs 193 million approximately,” the notice reads.
He also directed PLDC to assign the project of Aashiana-e-Iqbal to LDAresulting into award of contracts to M/s Lahore Casa Developers (JV), thuscausing loss of Rs 715 million approximately and ultimately failure of theproject, according to the notice.
It says the chief minister had also directed PLDC to award consultancyservices of Aashiana-e-Iqbal project for Rs 192 million approximately, butits actual cost was Rs 35 million.