NAB files reference in corruption in Gwadar land

QUETTA: The National Accountability Bureau Balochistan has filed a reference in an investigation into the illegal allotment of 581 plots by top officials of Gwadar Industrial Estate and Development Authority (GIEDA) for causing huge loss to the national exchequer.

Former Managing Director GIEDA Ahsan Mehboob, General Manager Waqas Ahmed, GM Industries Shahid and Nadeem Khosa and Consultant Muhammad Aslam Shah were nominated in the reference filed in the Accountability Court of Quetta, according to NAB sources on Monday.

The accused violated the rules and regulations and caused irreparable damage to the exchequer through illegal allotment of commercial and industrial plots to their friends, relatives and unrelated persons

It was revealed during the investigation that government lands in Gwadar Industrial Estate, which was set up to promote industry and trade in Gwadar, were allotted to people who had nothing to do with industry and trade.

Due to illegal allotment of the government commercial land allocated for industries and other commercial activities, the industries could not be set up in Gwadar that caused economic loss to the country as well as employment opportunities to the locals of Gwadar.

NAB Balochistan has submitted the reference in the accountability court of Quetta in the light of solid evidence against the accused. It may be mentioned that the National Accountability Bureau Balochistan has also already filed another case of massive corruption in Gwadar Industrial State and Development Authority (JEDA) in the accountability court against the same accused.