Ahad Cheema’s arrest: Punjab bureaucracy officers resume work after protest

LAHORE: Work in Civil Secretariat Lahore resumed Monday after officers of the provincial bureaucracy, who had closed their offices to protest Ahad Cheema’s arrest, returned to their daily routine.

According to the disgruntled officers, they have returned on the assurance of the chief secretary but would continue to extend legal help to Cheema.

The officers also said that they were not running away from the investigation but would not tolerate disrespect of any of their colleagues.

A group of officers in the Punjab bureaucracy had closed their offices in Civil Secretariat Lahore and started a peaceful protest, in reaction to Cheema’s arrest.

However, the officers of Punjab Public Service Commission, including the chief secretary and additional chief secretary (home) did not participate in the protest. Cheema is the former director general of Lahore Development Authority who was arrested on February 21.

NAB arrests former LDA director in Ashiyana scam

Cheema will be presented before the accountability court tomorrow, NAB will request the court to grant physical remand of the suspect

The arrest took place after National Accountability Bureau detected illegalities and corruption worth billions in a deal between Paragon Housing Society and Punjab Land Development Company to construct the Ashiana housing project, a low-cost housing project of the Punjab government. Cheema was heading the LDA then.

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.