Gujranwala district administration on Monday initiated a massive anti-encroachment and anti-smog drive across the district when dozens of illegal constructions in the immediate vicinity of GT road were demolished and four metal factories were sealed. Reportedly, three teams have been working under supervisions of assistant commissioners Hina Arshad, Mazhar Iqbal and Murtaza Malik, in Qila Chand bypass on GT road, Qila Dedar Singh and Nowshera Virkan, respectively. Meanwhile, a large number of police officers have been deployed to accompany teams as a precautionary measure in case of any resistance from illegal occupiers. Heavy machinery has been used to demolish encroachments. Besides, teams have sealed Usman Butt Aluminum, Shalimar, Osama and Bright metal works while further plans were being formulated to proceed with the crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles. PMLN’s Ahsan Iqbal denounces govt’s reform policies Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday denounced policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government, and said that many policies have been exposed in the first month of its tenure. Reportedly, he spoke to the media in front of the anti-terrorist court (ATC) in Gujranwala. “The government has bring a storm of inflation and a heavy burden on poor masses of the country,” he said, adding that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has decided not to intervene in such affairs of the government for 100 days so people could recognize their reality. He further said that Pakistan’s development was linked with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but a few conspirators were attempting to extract their interests using CPEC. “A particular lobby has been trying to inflict damage to mutual cooperation between China and Pakistan,” he said. Regarding Nawaz Sharif’s corruption cases, he stated that the former premier has not made any deal with anyone, and got released from jail because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had no evidences against him. He said that the PMLN-led government had purchased a land worth Rs 122 billion for the construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam, and allocated Rs 24 billion in the budget for the national cause. Anti-Corruption Dept files cases against 14 suspects The Anti-Corruption Establishment’s (ACE) branch in Gujranwala on Monday lodged cases against 14 suspects including eight government officers and six land mafia members for their alleged involvement in corruption and malpractices. Reportedly, ACE Regional Director Sheikh Fareed Ahmed told the media that a citizen Asim Sultan filed an application accusing members of land mafia of constructing dozens of illegal commercial buildings in support of Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) Arshad Mehmood, TOR Muhammad Yousaf, TOPC Tahseen Haider and a building inspector of Nandi Pur town, and thus causing a massive loss to government exchequer. In another application, a citizen Perven Bibi filed an application with the ACE and stated that she had purchased a piece of land in a housing society in Garjakh area, but later she was informed that the society was not approved by the concerned authorities, however the construction work was being carried out in support of Aroop town’s administration. Initial investigations suggested sufficient evidences against the accused persons, and consequently the ACE lodged cases against Nandi Pur town TMO Arshad Mehmood, TOR Muhammad Yousaf, TOPC Tahseen Haider, Aroop town TOR Abdul Haroon, TOPC Amin Mughal, TO Khurram, building inspector Yousaf Mughal, and land mafia members including Abdul Aziz, Haji Ishtiaq, Nasreen Akhter, Sajida Abdul Samad, Muhammad Yousaf, Adnan Andleeb, Dr Haider Sharif. Published in Daily Times, October 2nd, 2018.