Why Ahad Cheema’s arrest ruffled so many feathers?

The first news ticker ran, ‘Ahad Khan Cheema has been arrested.’ Then came, ‘Ahad Cheema has been picked up from his office.’ Finally, ‘Ahad Cheema is in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau.’

In the bureaucratic circles, there was astonishment, even disbelief. The Punjab government’s favourite officer, who was posted on grade-20 jobs, despite holding a grade 18 position of the Pakistan Administrative Service, was surely untouchable. But he was not.

Formerly, Cheema had served as the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Lahore and the Director General of the Lahore Development Authority. So happy was the Punjab government with his performance that he was made the head of a power company, Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power Company, which allowed him to take home Rs 1.5 million, perks excluded.

Tales of Cheema’s misconduct were well-known in the government circles. Well, to everyone but the Punjab government. Rumors have been swirling for a while. Yet, no one bothered to investigate it. Until the NAB got a whiff. The anti-graft watchdog detected illegalities and corruption worth billions in a land deal between Paragon Housing Society and the Punjab Land Development Company to construct the Ashiana Iqbal housing project, a low-cost housing project of the Punjab government. Cheema was then heading the LDA. The deal happened under his watch, with his approval.

According to a NAB representative Cheema allegedly received 32 kanals of land as bribe from the owners of Paragon Housing Society. As DG LDA, Cheema awarded contracts worth billions to the same company. It has also been said that he illegally distributed expensive tracts of land among those who were his favourites.

So how did the Punjab government react to this? In anger. Immediately, as the news broke, the chief secretary Punjab called a meeting in the Darbar Hall of the Punjab Civil Secretariat to decide the future course of action. A second meeting was called at the Civil Officer’s mess. Then a third was held at the Secretariat where it was decided that Cheema will be provided legal help and his house will be looked after in his absence.

A quickly assembled legal team filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against the arrest. The concerned bench also immediately asked the DG NAB for an explanation. What, one wonders, is the precedent being set here, especially by a chief minister who boasts of not tolerating corruption?  

Ansari is the bureau chief of Geo News in Lahore

Note: The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Geo News, The News or the Jang Group