DG ACE Punjab removed

LAHORE: The Punjab interim government on Monday removed Anti-Corruption Establishment director general Brigadier (retd) Muzaffar Ali Ranjha from service. The Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Tariq Najeeb Najmi was given the additional charge.

The notification of Brigadier (retd) Muzaffar Ali Ranjha's removal was issued on Monday.

Ranjha was considered to be a blue eyed boy of former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif. While commenting on the sacking, the ACE director legal Sh Sohail said Ranjha's contract was terminated due to the ongoing reshuffle of officers in the wake of general elections 2018. He said Ranjha’s two year contract was expiring in July 2019. It was a contractual appointment so Ranjha could not have been transferred elsewhere, Sohail added. He categorically denied any conspiracy behind Ranjha's.

Rumours were rife that Ranjha's appointment as director general ACE was a reward from the PML-N government for allegedly helping the party in rigging the 2013 elections. At the time of 2013 elections, Ranjha was serving as the sector commander of the Military Intelligence, Punjab. The PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a Geo TV ‘Capital Talk’ show had alleged that a brigadier had helped Nawaz in Punjab during the last general elections.

Later, in a press talk Ranjha categorically rejected Imran's allegations. However, he admitted that former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had appointed him as DG Anti-Corruption Establishment after seeing his work as MI Punjab sector commander. Shahbaz told me the way I had worked, I will improve the working of Anti-Corruption Establishment, he had told the press conference.