Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General (DG) Ahad Cheema has on Monday met his wife and told her that he wasn’t tortured at all by the officials, reported Daily Times.

According to sources, the meeting between Cheema and his wife continued for about one hour where Cheema is reported to have told wife that he hadn’t been threatened by the accountability body.

Ahad Cheema told his wife that she did not need worry. His wife informed him about Punjab bureaucracy’s tough stance on the subject and their strike for his release.

The top bureaucrat had been arrested by National Accountability Board (NAB) last week over charges of corruption in LDA scheme and alleged involvement in the fire that broke out in LDA Plaza few years back.

In its press release, NAB claimed that it had been working in accordance with the law. “NAB does not believe in discriminating against anyone. Ahad Cheema’s meeting with his wife continued for one hour and the two were not interrupted at all as the NAB honoured everyone’s self-respect in accordance with the law”, the press release read.

It further added that Ahad Cheema was physically in perfect condition and the picture released was a reflection of the same.

The details of 21 properties owned by Ahad Cheema in Pakistan and abroad had surfaced on Sunday.

Also read: Ashiana scheme contractor sent on one-day NAB remand

The NAB had earlier arrested Ashiyana Housing Scheme (AHS) contractor Shahid Shafiq, who is a partner in the construction company Bismillah Engineering, based on the testimony of former director general (DG) LDA Ahad Khan Cheema. The former LDA director general was arrested by the NAB last week for alleged irregularities in the Ashiana Housing scheme.

The NAB Lahore had also released pictures of Shahid Shafiq standing behind the bars just like it released pictures of Ahad Cheema.

The arrest of Ahad Cheema had sparked friction between the Punjab bureaucracy and the government, with the former adopting a resolution against the arrest of Cheema. In an emergency meeting of civil servants two days ago, they had demanded the apex court to take suo motu notice of the arrest of Cheema. The meeting also blamed National Anticorruption Bureau (NAB) for maligning the dignity of civil officers. The resolution called the act of NAB as misuse of authority and harassment.

On February 21, the NAB arrested Cheema from his Gulberg Office on MM Alam Road on an informer’s report about his presence there. He is accused of misuse of powers and illegal award of a contract for Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scheme.

A spokesperson for the Punjab government, Malik Ahmed Khan, responding to the arrest of Cheema had said that no reason was given for the arrest, adding that the former LDA DG would have appeared before NAB if the latter had sent a request to the chief secretary.

He said that NAB had also released his pictures without completing the legal procedure as this situation had created panic and disturbance among the family members.