Punjab Youth Festival scam: NAB again summons Rana Mashood on August 6

LAHORE (92 News) – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has again summoned former provincial minister Rana Mashood in corruption scandal of the Punjab Youth Festival. The PML-N leader is accused of getting contracts of millions of rupees through fake companies. Sources said that more arrests are expected in the Punjab Youth Festival scam after Eidul Azha. On July 8, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had interrogated Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader and former provincial minister Rana Mashood in Punjab Sports Youth Festival scandal. According to reports, the PML-N leader appeared before the NAB and interrogated about the corruption case. It is pertinent to mention here that Rana Mashood facing inquiry in a matter related to alleged corruption in Punjab Sports Festival. Talking to journalists, the PML-N leader had said that Prime Minister Imran Khan started political inquires. He also questioned that the loyalty with party is wrong, adding that they have turncoats in their party. “If you think that you can convince to change loyalties with our parties, you are living in the fool’s paradise,” he mentioned. He further claimed that the time demands from the rulers to go back home. It was also reported that the NAB has sought details of Mashood’s bank accounts, assets details from the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and other concerned departments. The details of the vehicles being owned by the PML-N leader have been also sought from the Excise department of Punjab. The NAB had launched a probe into alleged misappropriation of millions of rupees of the Punjab Youth Festival in 2011 and 2012. Earlier on June 29, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stopped Rana Mashood at the Allama Iqbal International Airport from traveling to the United States.

Mashood, who remained Punjab sports minister in the tenure of Shehbaz Sharif as chief minister, reached the airport to travel to the US, but he was not allowed to travel on grounds that his name had been included in the black list by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

He has been facing the NAB inquiry into the corruption allegations linking to the Punjab Youth Festival 2011-12. Sources said Mashood was attempting to escape abroad to avoid the NAB investigations, but the authorities foiled his attempt because of inclusion of his name in the black list. Mashood in his reaction said as he reached the airport, the authorities informed him that he couldn’t travel because of being black listed by NAB.