ISLAMABAD – FIA Director General Waseem Ahmed on Thursday told the Supreme Court that Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was involved in the multi-million rupee Haj scam.
Quoting the statements of two legislators, PML-N’s Bilal Yaseen and Imran Shah, the FIA DG said one Zain Muhammad Sukhaira, a close friend of PM’s son, was also involved in the Haj scam.
A six-member special bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday was hearing a suo motu case against the alleged corruption in Haj arrangements.
Upon the FIA DG’s revelations, the bench asked Ahmed if the two had been included in the investigation. Ahmed said Sukhaira went abroad on December 27, thus his statement could not be recorded.
The court asked whether the prime minister’s son had also accompanied his friend abroad, upon which, the FIA official said he could not trace the fact. Earlier, the Supreme Court directed the Religious Affairs Ministry to pay back within a week 700 Saudi Riyals to each of the 26,000 pilgrims from whom the amount was charged for accommodation during Haj.
The court warned Religious Affairs Secretary Shaukat Hayat Durrani that if the ministry did not pay back the money to the affected pilgrims, its accounts would be frozen. The court also directed the Religious Affairs secretary to provide the court a copy of the formula and schedule of paying back the amount to affected pilgrims.
Meanwhile, the chief justice warned the FIA director general that if he was not capable of performing professional obligations, he should tell the government straight away, else the court would pass an order in this regard. The chief justice observed that the name of the main culprit in the scam was removed from ECL by Interior Minister Rehman Malik through an SMS.
“Have you asked the interior minister why he removed that name,” Justice Ramday asked the DG, who said he had not.
“Do you know the meaning of an investigation and how it is conducted?” Justice Ramday asked the DG.
The chief justice further asked the DG why was he not bringing witnesses from Saudi Arabia. Sardar Latif Khosa, lawyer for former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi, informed the court that the prime minister had directed for an independent probe into the matter. Justice Ramday observed that the FIA lacked the required abilities to conduct investigations.
Meanwhile, Senator Azam Khan Swati who was also present in court, filed an additional concise statement with the court through his lawyer Afnan Karim Kundi.
“I am not satisfied with FIA investigation, as I have written several letters to it but it did not bother to reply or provide any roadmap on how credible material evidence was sought and submitted before the apex court,” Swati’s statement said.
He said Pakistan’s Ambassador in Saudi Arabia had informed him that one Muhammad Farooq and Malik Abdul Rehman and others, presently in Saudi Arabia were willing to come to Pakistan and testify before the apex court.
However, they needed protection for their safe exit back to Saudi Arabia, Swati said. He said necessary measures must be taken for their protection and the ambassador to Saudi Arabia should be directed to arrange their visit to and fro Pakistan. The court adjourned further proceedings until January 11.
