Punjab ex-minister Ajmal Cheema gets clean chit over Kashana scandal

LAHORE (92 News) – Former Punjab minister Ajmal Cheema was given a clean chit in the Kashana shelter home case on Saturday. According to the sources, the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) presented the investigation report regarding Kashana scandal to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar. CMIT Chairman Dr Raheel Ahmad Siddiqui said an investigation was held to ascertain whether claims made by the former superintendent of Kashana Lahore, Afshan Latif, were true. In the report forwarded to the chief minister, Dr Raheel said Latif's accusations are baseless as no evidence was found to back her claims. The CMIT stated in the report that no proof was found that underage girls were abused or sent anywhere. Dr Raheel further said that Latif had made several accusations which were probed by the CMIT. According to the inspection team's chairman, the allegations did not prove to be true. Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC), while hearing a plea for protection of the orphan girls, summoned the Lahore deputy commissioner and the Baitul Maal director on December 12. Talking to the media on Tuesday, the suspended superintendent Afshan Latif said that it was not her problem, but the problem of orphan girls. “No one listened to me in the department and my complaint lodged with the PM Portal was also not heard,” she said. Afshan Latif said that she hoped justice from court as she had moved court after approaching each platform. Earlier in a video on Twitter, she had accused a government official of pressuring her to marry ‘underage girls’ to fulfil demands of some higher government officials and a provincial minister. She claimed she was being pressurised by Social Welfare Director General Afshan Kiran Imtiaz of misusing the orphan girls living in the shelter homes under the guise of giving them shelter and food. She added that the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team consistently pressurised her to take back her statement, and her refusal to do so resulted in the budgetary allocations to her department being held back.