LAHORE: The Punjab Auqaf Department has ordered a formal inquiry against five former officials of Data Darbar over allegations of large scale financial corruption, misconduct, and attempts to manipulate media narratives to conceal irregularities, according to an official order issued by the Chief Administrator Auqaf Punjab.
The directive, a copy of which is available with Jang, issued by Chief Administrator Dr Ahsan Bhutta under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEDA) Act, 2006, names five officers as accused. These officers, previously posted at Data Darbar in various capacities, are currently serving in different positions across the province. The competent authority has concluded that the officials were prima facie involved in misconduct, disobedience, and financial embezzlement, necessitating a formal inquiry under Section 5(9) of the PEDA Act.
A two member inquiry committee comprising the Director General Religious Affairs and the Director Finance Auqaf Punjab has been constituted to investigate the charges and submit its findings within 60 days.
The central allegation pertains to suspected embezzlement of donations collected through 44 cash boxes installed at the shrine. According to the order, a comparison of six weekly cash openings between December 8, 2025, and January 12, 2026, showed a consistent decline in donations ranging from 13.36pc to 32.95pc compared to the previous year.
However, following the introduction of monitoring by the Auqaf headquarters in Lahore, the next six weekly openings from January 19 to February 23, 2026 recorded a sharp increase in collections, with gains ranging from 3pc to as high as 72.23pc.
The report noted that prior to monitoring, the department suffered a cumulative loss of Rs4.48 million over five weeks, while monitored collections in the subsequent six weeks showed a net increase of Rs7.56 million compared to last year.
Significantly, the increase occurred despite a reported 50 per cent drop in visitor turnout due to ongoing construction work at the shrine, reinforcing suspicions of systematic theft and embezzlement during earlier cash handling processes. The order alleges that the accused caused losses amounting to “millions of rupees” to the department.
The inquiry order further accuses the former administration of attempting to suppress evidence of corruption through coordinated media manipulation. It alleges that CCTV footage from the shrine was stolen and selectively used to create a misleading narrative against the department.
In a separate charge, the accused officials were linked to a social media campaign falsely alleging that individuals observing itikaf at Data Darbar in 2026 were charged Rs10,000 each for police verification. The claim was later denied by the police, and the inquiry order termed it a deliberate attempt to damage the department’s reputation, coinciding with disciplinary proceedings against the former administration. It is notes that campaign was observed between December 2025 and January 22, 2026, but escalated soon after action was initiated against the accused, suggesting a “deep nexus” between transferred officials and the propaganda. certain media personnel.
The accused officials have been directed to submit their written defence within seven days of receiving the order. Hassan Rizwan, Manager Auqaf at Data Darbar, has been appointed as the departmental representative in the proceedings. Officials said the inquiry committee would proceed in accordance with Section 10(6) of the PEDA Act and submit its recommendations within the stipulated timeframe.
