Case against Sibtain Khan: Ex-PMDC director becomes approver

LAHORE: A former director of the Punjab Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) has become an approver in a case pertaining to alleged corruption and illegal award of contracts by former Punjab minister for forestry, wildlife and fisheries Sibtain Khan. It has been learnt that the said development took place after the visit of the Chairman NAB to the NAB Lahore bureau. However, NAB spokesperson Nawazish Ali didn’t respond on the matter despite repeated calls and messages. The NAB Lahore had arrested Sibtain Khan on June 15, 2019 on charges of awarding an alleged illegal contract to an alleged fake company in 2007. Sibtain had resigned from his office after his arrest and later had secured bail from the Lahore High Court. As Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) minister for Mines and Minerals in 2007, Sibtain had awarded a contract for extracting minerals in the Chiniot district. The NAB had also accused former Secretary Imtiaz Ahmad of constituting a committee comprising M Aslam and Abdul Sattar on the directions of Sibtain Khan for approval of the said contract. During the process, the former chief inspector mines, Abdul Sattar, provided a fake survey to the technical committee. Also, the operations manager, Muhammad Aslam, provided fake financial and technical figures. The NAB alleged that the accused in connivance with the former minister did a joint venture with the company. The NAB had also arrested Punjab Mineral Development Corporation’s former managing director Manzar Hayat in this case.