LAHORE: Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi’s principal secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti has been arrested again—this time by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab, shortly after he was released on bail in a separate case filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

Bhatti, who is known to be a close aide of the former Punjab chief minister, was taken into custody by a team of ACE officials outside the Camp Jail, just as he stepped out of jail after being released on bail in the FIA case. The ex-principal secretary of the former Punjab chief minister had been awarded bail in the FIA case, but the ACE team was waiting outside the jail to arrest him in another case.

ACE officials told The Express Tribune that the arrest has been carried out on charges of alleged corruption and receiving kickbacks for awarding a road construction project worth Rs178 million in Mandi Bahauddin. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed by ACE Punjab against Bhatti. Bhatti had previously been arrested last month from Quetta, where officials claimed he was attempting to escape the country via the Balochistan-Iran border. He is accused of taking bribes worth Rs460 million for making transfers and appointments during his time serving as the former chief minister’s principal secretary.

Apart from corruption allegation, Bhatti's name has also come up in an audio clip of an alleged telephone conversation with a lawyer in which former chief minister Elahi is purportedly talking about fixing Bhatti's case before a sitting apex court judge. The former CM's aide has repeatedly denied all charges against him, and his wife has filed petitions in various courts claiming political victimisation. Former CM Elahi has also denied any wrongdoing, claiming that a “wrong impression” was being given to his conversation in the leaked audio clip with the lawyer about the Muhammad Khan Bhatti case. Bhatti's wife Kausar Parveen claims he is being humiliated for his loyalty to Elahi and on account of his family's political background, he is being implicate him in false criminal cases and subjected to victimisation by the government headed by rival political parties.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 05 2023

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