Ex-PML-N MNA Nahra arrested for squatting

LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested former PML-N MNA Mudassar Nahra in a land grabbing case on Friday. An ACE team along with a heavy contingent of police arrested Nahra from his residence for illegally occupying over 267 Kanal state land in Noshera Virkan. In a reference, the Gujranwala DC had requested the ACE DG to initiate criminal proceedings against 15 people including Sultan Nahra, Mudassar Nahra, his brother and sitting MNA Azhar Nahra and officers of the revenue department for illegally occupying and cultivating state land. He said penal rent amounting to Rs24,050,574 should also be recovered from the Nahra family for illegally occupying and cultivating state land.

The land was reclaimed last month. A JIT comprising the Gujranwala HQ circle officer, CO and assistant director-legal was also formed to further probe the matter. Meanwhile, a case was also registered in ACE against Ghulam Dastagir Khan, father of PML-N senior leader Khuram Dastagir, for illegally occupying prime land of Sadar Gujranwala Tehsil Council and the provincial government measuring 1 Kanal and 10 marlas since 1967. In his reference, DC Sohail Ashraf requested the ACE DG to start criminal proceedings against Ghulam Dastagir for illegally occupying precious state land and constructing Gulistan Cinema on the grabbed land without any building plan, and government officers including Tahir Gujjar, MO Planning, and Sarfraz Ahmed, ex-building inspector Nandi Pur Town, for helping the beneficiaries in their nefarious designs against the state exchequer. The District Rent Assessment Committee Gujranwala approved Rs17,159761 to be recovered from the owners of the cinema.

ACE DG Gohar Nafees said that none was above the law and fair accountability demanded indiscriminate action against all offenders irrespective of their affiliations.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Central Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that by misusing the state machinery, the government can arrest the PML-N officials, but can’t change the narrative of ‘respect for vote’.

In her Twitter message on Friday, she in response to the arrest of PML-N leader Mudassir Qayyum Nahra, said that the arrest made it clear that the elected government was on its knees in the face of public outrage.