Retired PWD official held for corruption

Altaf Hameed Rao
MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu & Kashmir Accountability Bureau Thursday arrested Javed Iqbal Durrani, a retired Deputy Director of Central Design Office of PWD, AJK govt. for inflicting massive loss to the national exchequer through misuse of his authority, it was officially declared.

The nabbed accused Durrani has been shifted to the Safe House of AJK Ehtesab (Accountability) Bureau in Mirpur for further investigations into a reference already pending in the AJK Accountability Bureau, a spokesperson of the Bureau said in an official press note issued here late Thursday.

According to the press note, Javed Iqbal Durrani has been arrested for indulging in corruption through misusing his powers being Deputy Director of the Central Design Office in Muzaffarabad in the AJK Government sponsored project of the construction of the building of Kashmir Center in Lahore. He is accused of making the payment of Rs. 10.50 lakh unlawfully to the consultant firm of the project.
AJK Accountability Bureau has already arrested two retired chief engineers of the AJK Public Works Department including Sheikh Shujaat Jalil Ahmed and Ch. Muhammad Illayas in the infamous corruption case of Kashmir Center Lahore’s construction project.
The above two nabbed ex chief engineers are presently imprisoned in Central Jail Mirpur since March this year following the trial in AJK Ehtesab Court of Mirpur.
According to the press note of the AJK Accountability Bureau, Rs.140 million Kashmir Center Lahore’s building construction Project was delayed because of the alleged connivance and ill deeds of the AJK PWD and the Consultant firm. “This unlawful act has caused the loss of about Rs. 500 million to the national exchequer because of the poorest progress of the construction work – which is equal to nothing so far”, the press note said.

The arrested accused Javed Iqbal Durrani was produced before the AJK Accountability Court Muzaffarabad for remand which ordered his shifting to the Safe House of the Accountability Bureau in Mirpur for further probe. Two of the accused, involved in the case, have secured the bail before arrest, it added.