A Peshawar anti-corruption court on Friday sent Ishtiaq Muqam, son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Amir Muqam, on judicial remand till May 30.
As the hearing began, accused Ishtiaq’s counsel complained that Federal Minister Murad Saeed was running a smear campaign against his client.
“Murad Saeed has written letters to various departments, including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), for initiating an inquiry against Ishtiaq. My client is being made a target of political revenge,” the counsel said. After hearing arguments of the parties, the court sent the accused on judicial remand till May 30.
Earlier on May 14, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested Ishtiaq for alleged corruption in the Shangla-Alpuri Road project. According to FIA, five contractors including Ishtiaq were arrested after an inquiry. The inquiry recommends action against 11 officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA), blacklisting Amir Muqam and the contract company and recovering Rs 626 million from it.
According to the inquiry, Amir Muqam and the company had to complete the project within a year at the cost of Rs 850 million. However, the project remained incomplete even after 10 years and the cost soared to Rs 2,800 million.
