LAHORE: The Punjab Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Tuesday summoned the principal secretary to former chief minister Usman Buzdar for interrogation on July 6 (today).

According to an ACE official, former CM Buzdar’s principal secretary Tahir Khursheed alias TK was accused of taking bribes of millions of rupees in several public projects.

He said TK was also involved in getting bribes in public development programmes and also getting money in transfer and posting of different high-ranking posts.

The ACE official said TK was also involved in taking millions of rupees bribe in approving different road tenders. TK is facing allegations of receiving millions of rupees bribe for giving additional funds in the Communication and Works Department chief engineer Waseem Tariq.

Waseem Tariq was arrested on charges of receiving Rs9.4 million bribe and said to be the ‘front man’ of former chief minister Usman Buzdar’s principal secretary Tahir Khursheed, who had received Rs9.4m as bribe from a contractor.

The ACE was conducting an investigation against the suspect in getting bribes in other contracts and a case has been registered against him.

Earlier, the ACE also summoned a brother of former prime minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and 18 others for ‘illegally occupying state land’ in Depalpur.

Bushra Bibi’s brother Ahmed Mujtaba and 18 others were called to appear in a hearing at ACE Sahiwal office on July 6 (today) for investigation into their alleged involvement in a corruption scandal related to state land.

Last week, the ACE booked Farhat Shahzadi also known as Farah Khan, a close friend of Bushra Bibi, and her mother and arrested a former acting CEO of the Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) and Special Economic Zone committee secretary in a case of illegal allotment of two plots, measuring 10 acres, to a company owned by Farah.

According to the FIR, a probe was initiated into the allegations of illegal allotment of plots to M/s AI-Muez Dairy & Foods (Pvt) Limited with the connivance of officials of FIEDMC.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2022