The Supreme Court ordered on Monday the immediate restoration of the previous team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that was investigating the Haj corruption case.
A six-member larger bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Tariq Parvez, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to corruption in the arrangements for Haj 2010.
The court told the establishment secretary to immediately issue transfer orders of Hussain Asghar, enabling him to resume his duties and continue to investigate the Haj scam, otherwise the secretary would have to appear in court and face proceedings for non-compliance. The court also told him to put up the list of the officers available at that time when Asghar was appointed Gilgit-Baltistan inspector general.
The court stated that it seemed as if Asghar had been disassociated from the Haj scam and posted out because of taking a report from the FIA director general (DG), who had dishonestly given the report knowing well that Asghar was conducting the investigation of an important case.
The court observed further that after Asghar was posted out, no progress had been made in the case. The court ordered that the notification of Asghar’s reinstatement be issued during the course of the day (Monday). The court also told the FIA DG to provide Asghar every cooperation and assistance along with his team, which was already conducting the investigation of the scam.
The chief justice said the court had time and again politely expressed its desire that a person who was capable of delivering should be posted to carry out the investigation, but it seemed that orders of the court were being flouted intentionally.
During the hearing, the chief justice said that whoever violated court orders would be sent to jail first and would be heard later. He said further that the court had ordered action against investigating officer Javed Bukhari within four weeks, but two months had gone by and the orders had not been implemented. The chief justice also remarked that former establishment secretary Abdul Rauf Chaudhry should be sent to prison. He also noted the absence of the FIA DG and ordered him and the establishment secretary to appear in court on the next hearing.
The court later adjourned the hearing till today (Tuesday).
