In the latest development in the Ring Road scandal, former Rawalpindi commissioner Capt (rtd) Muhammad Mehmood has been arrested by the authorities, reported 24NewsHD TV channel, quoting sources in Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Department.

The sources say Captain (retd) Muhammad Mehmood’s name surfaced as the main character in the Ring Road scandal. He has been 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.

It is pertinent to note that Muhammad Mehmood previously served as Secretary, Agriculture Department Punjab. He is an officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS). He has completed his M.Phil. in Public Policy from Australian National University, Canberra and Master of Science in Development Economics, IDS from University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

Last week, 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 Shehzad Khan