In recent developments made in the Ring Road scandal, the federal government has suspended former Rawalpindi commissioner Capt (retd) Muhammad Mehmood for four months commencing from July 14.
Retired captain Muhammad Mehmood has been suspended from July 14, as per the notification. He was detained by authorities on the same date.
The former commissioner of Rawalpindi, a grade-21 officer, was already made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the Establishment Division for his alleged role in the Ring Road scandal.
Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Department arrested Muhammad Mehmood on July 14. He allegedly added societies in the project which did not fit in the jurisdiction and enhanced the stretch of the ring road against the original plan and map.
Muhammad Mehmood is an officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) who previously served as Secretary, Agriculture Department Punjab and other posts.
Earlier, former special assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari sent a defamation notice of Rs1 billion to Rawalpindi Commissioner Gulzar Hussain Shah, the officer who had prepared a report on the Rawalpindi Ring Road scam.
Denying all “adverse statements, remarks, allegations, [aspersions], averments and imputations” made in the officer’s report on the Ring Road project, the legal notice demanded of Mr Shah to “withdraw, recall and retract the said defamatory statement” and tender a public apology properly disseminated through media within 14 days. In case the officer does not retract and publicly apologize, legal proceedings would be instituted against him, the notice said.