Buzdar’s principal secretary fails to appear before ACE officials

LAHORE: Former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s principal secretary Tahir Khursheed aka TK failed to appear before the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab in inquiries of illegal transfers and postings on senior graders and taking bribes of millions of rupees in several public projects.

An ACE officer said the anti-corruption watchdog had summoned TK for Wednesday in different inquiries initiated against him, but neither appeared nor sent his counsel to clarify his position. He said the former principal secretary is accused of taking bribes of millions of rupees in several public projects.

He said TK was allegedly involved in getting bribes in development programmes and also getting money in transfer and posting of different high-ranking posts. According to the official, TK was also involved in taking millions of rupees bribe in approving different road tenders. He is also facing allegations of receiving millions of rupees bribe for giving additional funds in the Communication and Works Department chief engineer Waseem Tariq.

The ACE had attested Waseem Tariq on charges of receiving Rs9.4 million bribe and said to be the ‘front man’ of former Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s principal secretary Tahir Khursheed, who had received the above amount as bribe from a contractor.

The ACE was conducting an investigation against the suspect in getting bribes in other contracts and a case has been registered against him.

Meanwhile, the official also disclosed Ahmed Mujtaba, brother of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, also failed to appear before the ACE.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022