NAB makes two arrests in illegal appointments case against Akram Durrani

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has made progress in illegal appointments case against the former chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Akram Durrani, ARY News reported on Thursday.

A team comprising officials of NAB Rawalpindi chapter arrested two persons in connection with the case. According to NAB officials, a government officer is also among the arrested persons.

The detainees were identified as Mukhtar Bukhsh and Atif Malik, the officials said, adding that Bukhsh is the chief admin officer of Public Works Department (PWD). The arrested persons were allegedly involved in illegal appointments during the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) central leader Akram Durrani’s tenure during 2002 to 2007.

The JUI-F leader and the current leader of the opposition in the KP Assembly is also facing charges of misuse of power and illegal allotment of plots in other NAB cases.

Earlier on October 14, Durrani had failed to satisfy the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team in an ongoing investigation in assets beyond means case against him.

Read more: Akram Durrani shows up before NAB in assets beyond means case

Durrani was grilled for around four hours by the accountability team, in which he failed to give satisfactory answers against the queries of the top graft buster, said sources.

The federal minister was served a questionnaire comprising 15 questions and was asked to submit the answers within a week.

According to the NAB, the former minister had allegedly allotted plots owned by the DHA Foundation in sectors 1-12 and 1-16 to his near and dear ones and caused losses to the national exchequer.

He served as the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from 2002 to 2007. He served as federal minister for Housing and Works, in the Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018.

Last year, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal had ordered an inquiry against Akram Khan Durrani over misuse of power and illegal allotment of plots.

Durrani was re-elected to Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) from Constituency PK-90 (Bannu-IV) in general election of 2018.

On October 2, 2018, Akram Khan Durrani became leader of the opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).