The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) team raided to arrest former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar and his brothers’ houses in Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan and Taunsa Sharif over the matter of the illegal transfer of state-owned 900 kanals of land.
However, Buzdar and his brothers were not at their houses at the time. It is pertinent to mention that the former CM and his siblings shared protective bail with the raiding team earlier, which they had been granted by the Lahore High Court (LHC) till June 30.
Following the raids, Buzdar said that the Punjab government is carrying out retaliatory actions, adding that they [his family] can’t be intimidated. He took a jibe at the incumbent Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz, saying that the police and administration have become puppets.
“I did not take any kind of revenge during my tenure. We will not make excuses for illness or flee the country,” he added.
What is the case?
Earlier, ACE registered cases against Buzdar and his brothers for the illegal transfer of state-owned 900 kanals of land.
The state-owned lands are reportedly worth millions of rupees. They were seized in Taunsa, DG Khan.
Cases against Buzdar were registered after Deputy Commissioner DG Khan submitted an inquiry report in this regard. DG Khan ACE is investigating the case in detail.
According to the police complaint, on September 4, 1982, around 474 kanals and 12 marlas of state land in DG Khan was “bogusly mutated” in favour of Fateh Muhammad Buzdar’s sons, which are Usman Buzdar and his two younger brothers, reports Geo News.
The transfer was illegal, as all three brothers at the time were minors. Usman Buzdar was 13, Umar Buzdar was 12 and Tahir Buzdar was 3.
As of the year 2021, the cost of the land has been estimated to be Rs4,98,83,641.
Last month, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar said that the incumbent government has decided to move ACE against the former Punjab CM. He had alleged that Buzdar had acquired assets worth Rs10 billion when he was chief minister from 2018 to 2022.
