Parvez Elahi Arrested Over Lahore Master Plan Irregularities

Anti-corruption authorities apprehended him in Rawalpindi on Saturday and obtained transitory remand to shift him to Lahore

Parvez Elahi Arrested Over Lahore Master Plan Irregularities

Former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was on Saturday apprehended from the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a case pertaining to irregularities in the Lahore Master Plan.

An official of the Punjab Anti-Corruption Department on Saturday confirmed that they had obtained custody of Elahi from the jail.

He was then taken to the judicial complex to obtain a transitory remand to transport Elahi to Lahore to face further prosecution. The court approved the remand.

He will likely be shifted to the Anti-Corruption Headquarters in Lahore by evening.

The official explained that Elahi is accused of drawing financial benefits from the way the provincial capital's master plan was devised and how certain designs were incorporated.

Among the charges Elahi faces are making changes in the master plan whereby lands he owns are shown to be part of Lahore, impacting their price and ultimately providing financial benefit to him.

For this purpose, Elahi is accused of providing the consulting firm, which was drafting the plan, with fake stamps and monograms apart from inserting fake papers in the master plan documents submitted by the consultant.

Further, Elahi is accused of attempting to show agricultural land as commercial and residential land to accrue benefits worth billions of rupees.

To do so, Elahi abused his powers and his office and forced officers to approve the tampered plan.

The Punjab Anti-corruption Department has already booked Elahi in the matter.

The official added that they will apprehend all those involved in illegally altering the plan.

The writer is a senior correspondent at The Friday Times with a focus on politics, economy and militancy. He also hosts the Hassan Naqvi Show on Naya Daur.