PESHAWAR: The special court of anti-corruption (central) on Tuesday remanded into the custody of Federal Investigation Agency for three days the son of PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam and four other suspects arrested on charges of causing huge loss to the government exchequer during construction of Alpuri-Bisham Road in Shangla district due to improper execution of the project.

The FIA had arrested a day earlier Amir Muqam’s son Ishtiaq Ahmed, who is director of his family’s company M/S AM and Company, former project director Mohammad Ashfaq, resident engineer of Associated Consulting Engineers (ACE), which was consultant of the project, resident engineer of Associated Consulting Engineers (ACE), Mohammad Ayaz, another resident engineer ACE Mohammad Arshad and an attorney holder at Mohammad Irshad and Company, Mohammad Ali.

The suspects were produced before the special court amidst strict security as members of PML-N had gathered in a large number outside the Federal Judicial Complex, where the court is situated. The enraged PML-N workers blocked the road and also set on fire used tyres and chanted slogans against the government.

The officials of FIA requested the court to allow seven days custody of the suspects so that they could be properly interrogated.

The FIA claimed that the ministry of communications had in November 2018 requested the agency that Alpuri-Besham N-90, rehabilitation and widening of earthquake affected section of NHA, project of National Highway Authority caused heavy loss to the exchequer due to non-compliance of code and improper execution of the project, etc.

The FIA claimed that the original scope of work had been revised more than 15 per cent wherein such enhanced work had been executed under the running contract, which was against the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2019