Imran Khan, the Chairman of PTI, has disregarded the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) summons for the third consecutive time regarding the Layyah land corruption case. The ACE had previously delivered the summons notice to Imran’s residence in Zaman Park.
The spokesperson for ACE expressed that, despite being summoned thrice, the former Prime Minister failed to appear before the anti-corruption body. He added that the inquiry’s objective wasn’t to hassle anyone but to ascertain the truth about the Layyah land corruption case.
Imran Khan was initially summoned by the ACE on June 19 and was requested to appear on June 16 in the first summons.
The Layyah land corruption case was registered against Dr. Uzma Khan, Imran Khan’s sister, and her spouse, Ahad Majeed. The couple is accused of fraudulent acquisition of 5,261-kanal of land in the Layyah district, reportedly worth billions, for only Rs130 million. Allegedly, the pressure was applied on revenue officials for the illicit land transfer from Bani Gala, Imran Khan’s Islamabad residence.
The spokesperson stated that the land was fraudulently purchased in 2021-22 and later illicitly transferred to the couple’s names. The land’s market value was approximately Rs6 billion. The acquisition was made after the ADB announced aid for the Greater Thal Canal project, which aimed to irrigate barren lands through the Thal Canal.
Dr. Uzma, with foreknowledge of the project, compelled the landowners to sell the property to her and her husband. He added that the aggrieved landowners had reported Dr. Uzma and others to the police for forced land acquisition.
The spokesperson further stated that the roles of other officials involved in the fraud would be investigated, emphasizing their ongoing zero-tolerance policy against corruption.
In a related development, Lahore police arrested Rabia Sultan, the wife of former Punjab governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, when she attended a hearing at an anti-terrorism court on Thursday related to her husband’s case. She is alleged to be involved in incidents of violence on May 9.