Park View Housing Society: NAB Closes Inquiry on Aleem Khan’s Case

LAHORE: Aleem Khan, the president of the newly formed Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) and a member of the federal government’s ally received significant relief as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) closed an inquiry against him.

The inquiry was related to allegations of occupying and encroaching on public passages and illegal extension of the Park View housing society in both Lahore and Islamabad under the new accountability laws.

Furthermore, the property tycoon was also accused of illegally occupying public passages and illegally extending the River Edge Housing Society under the name of Park View Villas in Lahore.

Additionally, he was alleged to have been involved in the illegal extension of a housing society (Park View) in Islamabad, reportedly selling plots in unapproved phases and minting money from the general public.

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had raised concerns, stating that the housing scheme was situated in a river area and should not be utilized for residential purposes due to safety concerns.

In addition, the alleged land also fell in an agricultural area, making the scheme unapproved.

Based on the final investigation report and recommendations of the executive board, the competent authority approved the termination of the inquiry under section 31-B (1) of NAA, 2022.

However, it is important to note that the NAB has not closed the income beyond means inquiry against Aleem Khan, under which he was previously arrested in 2019 when he served as a provincial minister of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

The NAB’s records show that Aleem Khan accumulated assets beyond known sources of income within Pakistan and outside, establishing multiple companies for real estate business and investing millions of rupees.

Besides, he acquired substantial land in different mauzas of Lahore in the name of his company M/s A&A Pvt Ltd, and also made investments in offshore companies in the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

It is worth mentioning that the NAB had recently dropped an inquiry against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his sons, and 13 others in a Rs. 16bn money laundering case.

Several PML-N and PPP leaders have also benefited from the amendments introduced in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 under the current ruling coalition.

Source: DAWN