In the latest development in the Ring Road scandal, the federal government has suspended former Rawalpindi commissioner Capt (retd) Muhammad Mehmood for four months (120  days), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

As per the notification, retired captain Muhammad Mehmood has been suspended from July 14 same date on which he was detained by authorities. The former commissioner of Rawalpindi, a grade-21 officer, was already made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the Establishment Division for his alleged role in the Ring Road scandal.

Earlier on July 14, former Rawalpindi commissioner Capt (retd) Muhammad Mehmood was arrested by the authorities by Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Department.

Muhammad Mehmood name surfaced as the main character in the Ring Road scandal. He was arrested over allegations regarding enhancing the stretch of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project against the original map and altering the Ring Road map. Mehmood allegedly added societies in the Ring Road Project and even did not answer satisfactorily in the inquiries.

Muhammad Mehmood is an officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) who previously served as Secretary, Agriculture Department Punjab and other posts. 

Earlier, former special assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari sent a defamation notice of Rs1 billion to Rawalpindi Commissioner Gulzar Hussain Shah, the officer who had prepared a report on the Rawalpindi Ring Road scam.

Denying all “adverse statements, remarks, allegations, [aspersions], averments and imputations” made in the officer’s report on the Ring Road project, the legal notice demanded of Mr Shah to “withdraw, recall and retract the said defamatory statement” and tender a public apology properly disseminated through media within 14 days. In case the officer does not retract and publicly apologise, legal proceedings would be instituted against him, the notice said.

Reporter Babar Shahzad Turk