FIA seeks PM’s nod to arrest Kazmi

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has sent a written request to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for the arrest of former Religious Affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi after gaining two pieces of evidence against him for his involvement in the Haj accommodation scam, an agency official told Pakistan Today on Tuesday.
“The FIA has received solid evidence and clues about the involvement of the former minister for religious affairs in the Haj corruption scandal, and has approached the PM to give the go-ahead for arresting Kazmi,” the official said.
Caught on tape: He said that the FIA had received a CD containing a recorded telephonic conversation of Khokhar – the nephew of the sacked minister – with a travel agent Mumtaz, in which he demanded an additional amount of Rs 22,000 per pilgrim.
“Kazmi had demanded SR 50 per pilgrim from Shahid Khan who was working as Haj director general (DG) before Rao Shakeel. Shahid refused to do so and left his post and currently, he is working in the Punjab Home Department,” the official said.
He said that Kazmi appointed a person, Faiz Ahmad, without pay, as a building supervisor in Jeddah who received Saudi Riyal 1.3 million from Farooq, an investor of Nakba I and II – the building where the pilgrims resided.
“Faiz introduced himself to Farooq as an agent of Kazmi and Rao Shakeel,” the official said, quoting Farooq. He added that the hiring committee tasked with arranging accommodation also paid 50 percent down payment to Farooq instead of 30 percent.
The official said that the FIA team had gone to Jeddah to interview Faiz but his residential visa had expired in 2007 and he had gone underground. “Faiz has sent fax messages to several influential people and the FIA, saying he is willing to become an approver,” he said.
The official said that the FIA had frozen the accounts of Kazmi, Shakeel and Religious Affairs Joint Secretary Raja Aftabul Islam. The FIA had also decided to seek the public’s help in unearthing all facts of the Haj scam and an advertisement would be published in newspapers for this purpose, he added.