Faisalabad Anti Corruption Establishment book former Minister and former Secretary Mines

Lahore: A case has been registered against seven persons including former provincial minister and former secretary Minerals on allegations of embezzlement in Rajwa mineral reserves.

Faisalabad Anti Corruption Establishment Police started action by registering a case under sections 420, 468, 471 of Cr. PC against former Minister Mines & Minerals Sibtain Khan, former Secretary Mines & Minerals Imtiaz Cheema, Secretary PUNJMIN Basharat Ullah, General Manager PUNJMIN Muhammad Aslam, Chief Inspector Mines Mian Abdul Sattar, Technical Advisor Biologist PUNJMIN Adrees Rizwani and Chief Executive ERPL Arshad Waheed.

It was told that PUNJMIN had discovered 610 billion metric ton mineral reserves of iron ore at a cost of 117.59 million rupees in Rajwa-Chiniot. According to a government report, cost of mineral reserves is more than 915 billion dollars.

Allegedly Chief Executive of a fake company ERPL Arshad Waheed planned to embezzle mineral reserves with the assistance of PUNJMIN officials. Under the agreement between PUNJMIN and ERPL, 20 percent share was declared for PUNJMIN and 80 percent for others. It may be mentioned that the company named IPRL Earth Resources Pvt. Limited is not registered in Pakistan nor there is any office of this company anywhere. Moreover, the above mentioned company had neither technical expertise or trained staff regarding mineral reserves.

EPRL company also adopted fraudulent tactics in bank documents and issued bogus shares illegally against the assets of PUNJMIN. According to the inquiry of Anti Corruption Establishment, the fake company is being operated by Arshad Waheed from his residence in Gujranwala. It may be mentioned that after signing of the agreement principal officers of PUNJMIN declared the agreement as harmful for PUNJMIN as agreement was signed without inviting tenders from international companies under the rules and regulations.

It has been further revealed that after the agreement, assets of PUNJMIN including vehicles, generators and pumps etc. were handed over to ERPL but PUNJMIN paid salaries of its employees.

An inquiry committee comprising Deputy Director Kazim Awan and Industrial Director Legal Khalid Mehmood of Faisalabad, Anti Corruption Establishment has presented its report to the concerned authorities after initial inquiry upon which a case has been registered against seven persons including former provincial minister.

Muhammad Sibtain Khan son of Abdur Rehman Khan was born on August 30, 1958 at Piplan, Mianwali. He obtained the degree of M.A. (Political Science) in 1982 from University of the Punjab, Lahore. An agriculturist, who served as Chairman Town Committee during 1983-87. He has travelled to USA, UK, China and North Korea on study tours. He was first elected as Member Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in 1990 and functioned as Minister for Prisons during 1990-93 and returned to Punjab Assembly for the second term in 2002-07 and functioned as Minister for Mines & Minerals. He has been re-elected as Member, Punjab Assembly for the third term in general elections 2013 on the ticket of Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf.