ISLAMABAD: The Natio­nal Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday decided to conduct complaint verification of alleged corruption in the ‘Billion Tree Tsunami Project’ against the department concerned of the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

A meeting of NAB, presided over by its chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal, also decided to initiate a fresh complaint verification against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for appointing Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, a handout issued by the bureau said.

According to media reports, 19 employees of KP’s forest division are facing an inquiry for dereliction of duty and financial irregularities in the ‘Billion Tree Tsunami Project’ and another 60 officers have been suspended.

The KP government had said that no corruption would be tolerated in the project, which was expected to hit the billion-tree goal by the end of this year.

The KP government has so far spent Rs11 billion, and the project has been extended to June 2020, which will cost about Rs18bn.

Approval given for three supplementary references against Sharifs

The World Wide Fund working for the conservation of nature has termed the success rate of the plants up to 90 per cent. But according to unofficial media reports, the survival rate of the plants is 88pc.

Sharif to face fresh inquiry

“The meeting decided to conduct complaint verification against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and officers of Establishment Division in the case of alleged illegal appointment of HEC chairman Mukhtar Ahmed,” the NAB handout said.

Mr Sharif, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court as prime minister in the Panama Papers case on July 28 last year, is facing three corruption references.

On Monday, NAB’s executive board gave approval for three supplementary references related to Flagship Investment, Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfield properties, already filed in the accountability court.

On March 5, the bureau had approved an inquiry against the owners of Chaudhry Sugar Mills, including Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz, Kulsoom Nawaz and Mariam Nawaz, for having assets beyond known sources of their income. The complaint has been received from the Financial Management Unit of the State Bank of Pakistan regarding their involvement in suspicious transactions.

Illegal housing societies

The bureau reviewed progress of ongoing inquiries and investigations being conducted against illegal private and cooperative housing societies and the steps taken by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Rawalpindi Develop­ment Authority (RDA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration against such societies which are mushrooming in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The NAB chairman directed the bureau’s Rawalpindi Director General Irfan Mangi to ensure return of looted money to the victims of illegal housing societies.

Mr Mangi was also directed to conclude ongoing inquiries and investigations against illegal private cooperative housing societies as early as possible so that the corrupt people could be tried and punished as per the law.

The NAB chairman ordered the CDA, RDA and ICT administration to timely inform people about illegality of various private cooperative housing societies working in the twin cities so that they could be saved from squandering their money.

He further directed them to upload details of illegal private and cooperative housing societies of Rawalpindi and Islamabad at their respective websites.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2018