ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court (SC) is likely to issue on Monday (today) a contempt of court notice to the government for its refusal to sack Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) Waseem Ahmed, legal experts told Pakistan Today on Sunday.
The government’s written reply to the court on Saturday, in which it refused to remove the FIA chief, will be considered by a SC bench headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry today. Earlier on March 1, a six-member SC bench headed by the CJ had ordered the government to immediately remove Ahmed for allegedly interfering in the Haj scam case despite restrictions imposed by the apex court two months ago.
The government’s lawyer Hafeez Pirzada had told the court that the fate of the FIA DG would be decided within three days, which had expired on March 4, and a report would be submitted to the court registrar.On Saturday, Establishment Division Secretary Abdul Rauf Chaudhry told the court in a written reply that the immediate removal of the FIA chief was not possible because he was overseeing matters of national importance.
Sources, however, claimed the reply stated that Waseem had been dissociated from the cases of Pakistan Steel Mills, National Insurance Company Limited scam and the Haj scam. The court had observed that it seemed quite evident that investigation into the Haj scam was not being conducted impartially and transparently.
The CJ had said it could hardly be believed that an effective and impartial investigation into the case could be conducted in the presence of the incumbent FIA DG. The court had adjourned the case till March 15, but after the government’s reply it is likely to be taken up today.
