By: Mehwish Qamas
Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and Broadcasting and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ikhtiar Wali Khan, has claimed that Rs200 billion has allegedly been embezzled from a government account in Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Addressing an emergency news conference in Islamabad, he said, “I have come to expose a very big story of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa corruption.”
Ikhtiar Wali Khan said that this is not a minor financial irregularity but a story of massive corruption, which was hidden under the slogan of “clean, transparent” during the tenure of the PTI government.
He said that NAB has taken action on this scandal, and several important developments have been made.
He revealed that NAB has recovered Rs5 billion in cash during the operation, which includes dollars, pounds, Kuwaiti dinars and Pakistani rupees. Apart from this, luxury vehicles, gold, 30 houses, 25 flats, 12 shops, 4 farmhouses and 175 kanals of land have also come to light, which have been frozen.
Ikhtiar Wali said that contractor Muhammad Ayub has been arrested in this case; however, he clarified that not only government officials but also contractors and other non-government elements are involved in this scandal.
According to him, this story started in 2019 when Imran Khan was the Prime Minister and is still ongoing.
He said that one contractor has only come to the front; many names will come to light. NAB still has a lot of work to do.
He said that if corruption of Rs 200 billion can take place in just one district, then the situation in the rest of the districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can be even more serious.
Ikhtiar Wali Khan said that everyone has seen the work of the captain and his team, we know everyone from Mahmood Khan to Ali Amin Gandapur.
He questioned the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and said that even after 13 years, the KP government does not have a permanent finance minister, which is why a person from Sindh has been imported as the finance minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He raised objections to another major project and said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched a solarisation project, under which free solar power will be provided to 32,000 homes. The cost of the project is Rs 5.86 billion, out of which there is evidence of bribery of Rs 125 billion.
Commenting on the performance of NAB, Ikhtiar Wali said that NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is half-hearted, but the recovery rate is very low. Out of the Rs 200 billion corruption, the recovery of Rs 20 to 25 billion is like cumin in the camel’s mouth.
He clarified that this case will not be left incomplete; it will be taken to its logical conclusion.
Ikhtiar Wali Khan alleged that the corruption of PTI leaders is not limited to their offices or departments, but extends to their homes, drivers and contractors.
He appealed to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to now reject the leaders of thieves and robbers with the ballot paper.
Describing the case as a “test case”, Ikhtiar Wali appealed to the Prime Minister to provide full protection to the officers of NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so that they can complete their inquiries independently and without fear.
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