ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday filed a reference against Liaqat Ali Khan Qaimkhani, former director general of parks and horticulture of the Karachi Metro­politan Corporation (KMC), for having assets beyond means and his alleged role in the Bagh Ibne Qasim scam.

NAB had been conducting an investigation regarding illegal allotment of the amenity land of Bagh Ibne Qasim and its unlawful amalgamation with two plots of land of the KDA.

In the same case, NAB arrested a former executive district officer of the revenue department of Karachi, Sajjad Ali Abbasi, in June 2019. Mr Abbasi was part of the committee which granted the amenity plot to a private construction firm, besides being part of the Sindh Land Committee which regularised the land in favour of the company.

Later, NAB pardoned Mr Abbasi under Section 26 of the NAB Ordinance and made him a prosecution witness in the reference.

During the course of NAB’s investigation into the scam, the sources claimed, the bureau found interesting facts that suggested the scam was managed and executed right from the top tracing its links to power corridors in the provincial administration, allegedly to the Chief Minister House.

Mr Qaimkhani was app­ointed adviser to the Karachi mayor after his retirement a few years ago. He served on key positions under former city nazims Naimatullah Khan and Mustafa Kamal.

In September last year, NAB seized eight vehicles, arms, property files, jewellery and official records of the KMC from his custody from the Qaimkhani House in PECHS.. The documents of seven bungalows in Karachi and Lahore were also found during the search of his house in PECHS, Block-6. ‘Original files’ of the KMC were seized from the suspect’s house.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2021