Gulalai’s ex-aide who accused her of corruption gunned down

LAKKI MARWAT: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Ayesha Gulalai’s former political assistant Noor Zaman was shot dead in Lakki Marwat by unknown assailants on Sunday, months after he filed a corruption reference against her.

Subsequently, Noor’s family registered a case against four suspects, identified as Umar, Shaban, Saeed Alam and Rawal Khan, reported a private media outlet.

Terming it an incident of personal enmity, the police said that Zaman was killed when gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on him near Tajori, adding the suspects managed to flee the scene. Police, however, said that they were conducting raids to arrest the culprits.

On August 8, Noor Zaman accused Gulalai of embezzling money from the developmental funds issued to her constituency.

According to the reference, Gulalai and her father Shamsul Qayyum had been found involved in embezzlement in various provincial development schemes, saying it needed to be investigated on a priority basis.

Zaman had also threatened to present evidence before the provincial Ehtesaab Commission and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) if Gulalai did not apologise to the PTI chief.

Zaman alleged that she received Rs7.2 million as a kickback in the construction of Bannu Link Road-Saddakhel Road, adding that he himself received Rs 4.75 million out of the total amount.

He had further said that Gulalai pressurised him for receipts of the amount, adding that the counter-terrorism department also detained him for two days on the call of Ayesha Gulalai. However, Gulalai had denied the charges and that Zaman was her personal secretary.

Last week, Election Commission of Pakistan dismissed Imran’s reference against Gulalai, seeking to de-seat her as a member of the National Assembly.