NAB summons KP CM in Malam Jabba land case

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mehmood Khan has been summoned by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday in connection with a case involving misappropriation of land leased out in Malam Jabba for ski resorts.

According to NAB officials, Mehmood has been summoned for questioning in his capacity as the former provincial minister for sports, culture, tourism and museums. He will be questioned about his alleged involvement in the scam during the last Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in KP.

Earlier in January this year, it emerged that the KP government had illegally leased 275 acres of land in Malam Jabba, a tourist attraction in Swat district, which belonged to the provincial forest department.

The provincial government was to lease a mere 17-acre patch: five acres for construction of a hotel and 12 acres for a chairlift project, for 15 years. However, instead it allegedly gave 275-acre land to a private company on lease for 33 years, violating the rules and regulations.

The vast tract was reportedly leased despite objections by the KP Ehtesab Commission and CM’s inspection team.

NAB had launched an inquiry into the matter on the instructions of its chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal.