muzaffargarh: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has registered a case against four officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and two others for alleged embezzlement in various projects executed in the PP-271 constituency of former PTI minister Nawab Mansoor Khan.

Reports suggest that this case is seen as a move to exert pressure on the former minister and influence his potential PTI candidacy for the upcoming elections.

The first information report (FIR) says Mr Khan received substantial commissions from contractors, and the quality of material used in these projects was substandard.

ACE Deputy Director Malik Abdul Rahman Asim told Dawn the case is directed at PHED officials and contractors and is not targeting Nawab Mansoor. He was previously elected as an MPA from PP-271 on a PTI ticket.

The case FIR nominates PHED sub-division officers Rizwan Ghafoor and Talib Hussain, accountant Abdul Khaliq, and Kashif Construction Company’s Riaz Ahmed Shakir and Malik Ashiq. An ACE team raided different places to arrest the PHED officials but was unsuccessful.

The case alleges that the former minister received kickbacks from contractors in projects such as Khangarh College, drainage, and tuff tile installations.

According to the ACE report, the Government Associate College for Boys in Khangarh was constructed with substandard materials, and the Nawab allegedly influenced the release of payment to the contractor. Similar issues were noted in 13 water purification plant projects across his constituency, where the water quality was subpar.

The ACE also points out that the former minister received substantial commissions in two metal road projects and failed to complete various projects, including drainage systems and tuff tile installations.

The ACE official said the investigation is ongoing, and f necessary, Nawab Mansoor may be called in for inquiry.

Dawn’s attempts to contact Nawab Mansoor Ahmad for comments were unsuccessful. However, a reliable source said that Nawab Mansoor had quit the PTI without a “must-to-do press conference,” which might be the reason behind the initiation of the ACE case.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2023