DIAMER BASHA DAM COMPENSATION FUNDS SCAMMED; NAB PETITIONED TO FREEZE ACCOUNTS OF RUNAWAY LOCAL COMMITTEE MEMBER
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
Senior Investigative Journalist
ISLAMABAD — A major multi-million rupee public fraud scandal has been uncovered involving the official land acquisition compensation funds earmarked for the Diamer Basha Dam infrastructure project.
More than 400 affected local landowners have formally approached the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Headquarters along with its regional bureaus. They are demanding a full-scale investigation under Section 9 of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 for grand embezzlement and “Cheating Public at Large.”
The Modus Operandi
According to the formal complaint submitted by Umar Farooq, the designated focal representative of the aggrieved Yashkon tribe landowners, the primary suspect—identified as Ashraf Gul (son of Ahmad Gul)—exploited his position as an appointed member of the Local Land Compensation & Resettlement Committee. The committee had been authorized by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to systematically disburse state-backed compensation funds to families whose ancestral lands, structural properties, and orchards were legally acquired for the dam construction.
The petition alleges that the suspect compromised transaction verification protocols. Through suspected internal collusion with specific bank officials and committee insiders, Gul managed to intercept and route the collective and individual community compensation cheques directly into his private commercial bank accounts. Once the capital cleared, the suspect liquidated the entire balance and vanished overnight.
Financial Breakdown of Stolen Public Payouts
The audited baseline value of the embezzled public money totals a minimum of PKR 56,880,000 (Over 5.68 Crore PKR). According to the data ledger appended to the official NAB file, the stolen funds consist of the following targeted sub-shares:
| Affected Shareholder / Victim Group | Ownership Nature | Amount Misappropriated |
|---|---|---|
| Ijaz-ul-Haq (s/o Haji Abdul Aziz) | 66% Primary Land Share | PKR 5,880,000 |
| Ghulam Rahim (s/o Ghulam Sarwar) | 31% Secondary Land Share | PKR 3,300,000 |
| Custom Property Claims | Disputed Land Parcels | PKR 3,700,000 |
| Local Inhabitants (400+ Victims) | Bahrain Kot & Diamer Zone (500 Shares) | PKR 44,000,000 |
| TOTAL MINIMUM VALUE OF SCAM | ————— | PKR 56,880,000+ |
The Flight Risk and Current Abscondence
The complainants have brought to the notice of the top accountability watchdog that the suspect has been absconding and in hiding for the past two consecutive months with all communication links terminated. Local intelligence reveals that the suspect is currently engaged in the emergency liquidation of his remaining physical assets. Investigators fear he plans to launder the stolen public wealth out of the country via illegal Hundi/Hawala channels before escaping Pakistan entirely.
Demands for Administrative Intervention
Left with no other alternative, the desperate affectees of the Diamer Basha Dam project have prayed to the Worthy Chairman and Director General of NAB to pass the following emergency orders:
- Freeze Assets: Issue immediate statutory directives to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to seal and freeze all commercial and benami bank accounts linked to Ashraf Gul.
- Paralyze International Flight: Send an emergency request to the Ministry of Interior to place his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) to block flight attempts at all national airports.
- Identity Suspension: Coordinate with NADRA to digitally block his Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) to restrict his capability to execute further financial transfers.
- Recovery & Restitution: Force an emergency recovery operation to seize the funds from the custody of the suspect and ensure absolute restitution to the 400 affected families.
