LAHORE: Several officials of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) have been accused of wrongfully allocating 27 plots worth millions of rupees in a posh locality of the city.
Among the accused are a former director of Housing VII, Sibtain Raza Qureshi, who is currently posted in the LDA’s legal branch, and Faisal Anjum, Deputy Director Revenue. Two private individuals, Zaheer Ahmed and Shahid Munir, were also named in the case.
The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) registered the case against the accused under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIR was filed by an ACE officer, Shehbaz Ahmed, who had received information about the alleged wrongdoing.
According to the FIR, Shahid Munir Khokhar, who is known to be associated with various political leaders, used his political influence to obtain duplicate files of khasra numbers. With the help of LDA officials, Munir Khokhar and Zaheer Ahmed were able to acquire 27 plots in different blocks of Johar Town, worth millions of rupees.
The FIR further alleged that Nisar Patwari and Nadeem Patwari, along with Munir Khokhar and Ahmed, created bogus awards and forged documents related to payments made to the LDA’s account. The officials of LDA’s accounts branch were also allegedly involved in the fraudulent activities.
The FIR claimed that Director Housing VII, Sibtain Raza Qureshi, and Assistant Director, Sarfraz Khokhar, approved the allotment of the 27 plots in just five days, without following the standard operating procedures for verification of duplicate files.
Late at night, ACE arrested some of the accused in the case. The allegations against the officials and private individuals involved are serious and, if proven, could result in severe consequences. The case is still ongoing, and more details are expected to emerge as the investigation continues.
