Highlighting the efforts of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government towards rapid accountability of corrupt elements, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said on Sunday that the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab has made a "historic recovery" of about Rs 108 billion besides disposing off 27,127 complaints in one year.
"Out of the total recovered amount, the ACE made a direct recovery of Rs 1.63 billion and an indirect recovery of Rs 2.81 billion. More than Rs 103 billion were retrieved in land recovery. The foundation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was laid on the elimination of corruption and impartial accountability," said the chief minister through his twitter account.
He said during August 2018-19, the ACE resolved 27,127 complaints out of the 26,588 that were lodged pertaining to corruption. About 5,410 inquiries were launched out of which verdicts on 8,726 have been issued. "After complete investigation", the ACE registered 5,410 cases and issued verdicts in 2,014 cases, he added.
According to Buzdar, the ACE also issued 1,019 challans, conducted 280 raids and arrested 1,821 persons. Over the past one year, the ACE had arrested 40 suspects who were absconding and 257 accused who were wanted by the body. The process of accountability will continue so that public's trust in institutions can be revived, he asserted.
The announcement comes less than two months after the Punjab government removed Ejaz Hussain Shah as ACE director general over "poor performance". Shah was appointed on March 4 this year as the ACE DG and was removed at a time when he was dealing with several high-level inquiries against the leaders of the PML-N.
Sources said the government was unhappy over the "slow" pace of work on many high-profile cases pending within the department, adding that Shah was "not following" the instructions to speedily dispose of the cases. However, the sources added that the "higher-ups" were quite satisfied with the performance of former ACE DG Hussain Asghar and wanted Shah to follow his spirit of work.
Meanwhile, the chief minister in a statement said the PTI government will not tolerate any hurdle in the way of public service, for which indiscriminate actions are being taken against negligent officers and officials.
"I had assumed the office of the chief minister in order to fulfill the pledge of doing public service. The PTI government will go to any extent to ensure progress and prosperity of the people of the province," he added.
Criticising the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, the CM said that great emphasis was being done on self-projection in the past but the PTI government only wants welfare of the masses. "Our government will not squander away national money like being done during the tenures of the previous governments on ostentatious projects."
He said the PTI government has launched such projects which will give direct benefit to the public and added that people have been deprived of their basic necessities of life in the past. "The people of the province used to wait painfully for getting basic necessities in the past and deprivations of the people have been increased manifold by spending funds allocated for under developed areas on their liked projects," added the CM.
On the other hand, the PTI government has imposed a ban on spending funds allocated for South Punjab on some other project. Declared development funds, being allocated for the progress and prosperity of the people of South Punjab, will only be spent on their welfare and betterment, he concluded.