The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain seeking the separation of Moonis Elahi’s case from the main proceedings of the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scam case.
A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing several miscellaneous petitions in the NICL scam. However, the court directed the trial court to decide the bail application of Moonis Elahi independently, without being influenced by SC proceedings in the NICL scam. The court declined to proceed against former FIA additional director general Zafar Qureshi, who had alleged that he was facing life threats by the Chaudhry brothers.
During the hearing, Moonis’ lawyer SM Zafar requested the court to separate his client’s case from the ongoing suo motu proceedings into the NICL scam, upon which the court asked him to substantiate his plea with a precedent in which cases investigated under the CrPc had been separated, directing the lawyer that he should not ask for “exceptional treatment.” The chief justice said the court had received the NICL audit report and according to it many people were involved in the scam and there were serious allegation against them.
SM Zafar said the challans against Moonis had been submitted in the courts and the investigation officer had recovered Rs 1.74 billion, therefore the lower courts seized with the matter should be directed to dispose of the matter. However, FIA Director (Legal) Azam Khan informed the court that investigation officers had not yet submitted the final challan and the investigation was underway. The proceedings were later adjourned for an indefinite period.
Meanwhile, the court granted another week to FIA Director General Malik Muhammad Iqbal to get the transfer order of Zafar Qureshi rescinded. The chief justice told Makhdoom Ali Khan, lawyer for the FIA DG, that if Malik Iqbal was convicted, everything would be reversed automatically.
The chief justice noted that the acceptance of Iqbal’s apology was linked with the transfer of Zafar Qureshi from the NICL probe.