Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaqat Ali Chatta, who has gained international notoriety after being accused of rigging elections under his watch

By M.Ilyas
ISLAMABAD – Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaqat Ali Chatta, who has gained international fame after being accused of rigging elections under his watch, has been on good terms with PTI leaders and Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed.While 11 corruption inquiries are also pending against him.However, General (Rtd) Faiz Hameed’s sources have denied any role in Chatta’s press conference yesterday.Sources familiar with the matter have said that he was instrumental in acquiring land for Imran Khan’s sister Uzma Khan, which was later converted into a settlement and is being investigated by the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment.Uzma and her husband who are co-accused in this case and are currently on bail.Chatta himself is also facing investigation in ACE.It is also known that Chatha was also close to former chief Faiz Hameed.A source privy to their relationship said that he (Faiz) issued instructions to him (Chatha) on three occasions to facilitate personal matters when General Faiz was the ISI chief.Similarly, Chatta’s colleagues in the bureaucracy have also given statements regarding various incidents when they were given concessions.His closeness to Usman Buzdar was very evident and this is evident from the fact that Buzdar’s appointed Chata as the commissioner of Dera Ghazi Khan division where he served in 2022 till the PTI government took over ,not expelled through a motion of no confidence.That was the time when he helped Uzma Khan to purchase land in Layya.In this regard, a meeting was held in the office of Chief Minister Buzdar.According to an insider, the Commissioner DG Khan Chatta recommended settlement of Akthi land in segments without which it was not possible to acquire it.In this regard, an FIR was registered against Uzma Khan and her husband at the Dera Ghazi Khan police station accusing Uzma of acquiring 5261 kanals of land at a low price.According to the FIR, the land was worth Rs 6 billion, which was allegedly bought for Rs 13 crore through forgery. Chatta’s name is also included in his inquiry.Apart from this, 10 other inquiries are going on against him in which notices have been issued to him many times but he has not appeared even once.Among the inquiries he is facing are allegations of corruption and wrongdoing that he took to approve the Development and Design Committee, misuse of authority for the Lahore Entertainment City, and illegal ownership of private land and money to private individuals. There are allegations of non-payment.In addition, there are inquiries against him regarding unauthorized construction of gymkhana clubs in Gujarat, Sargodha, Rawalpindi and misappropriation of funds.