Inspector General of Gilgit-Baltistan Police Hussain Asghar was suspended from service on Thursday for not appearing before the court in the Haj corruption case.
A three-member Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain on Thursday resumed hearing in the case relating to allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the 2010 Haj arrangements. During the hearing, Attorney General Irfan Qadir produced the notification pertaining to Asghar’s suspension. The attorney general said the prime minister had been apprised of the court’s order regarding Asghar, upon which he ordered immediate action against the official. Subsequently, the bench adjourned the hearing until an unspecified date.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the apex court had directed the government to suspend Hussain Asghar from service for not complying with apex court’s orders. The court had asked Attorney General Qadir to suspend Asghar and bring it to the notice of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf that despite apex court’s orders, Asghar had not reported back to FIA Headquarter. The AGP submitted that Imtiaz Inayat Elahi had been appointed the inquiry officer for departmental proceedings against Asghar for non-compliance with court orders.
The chief justice questioned how was it possible that a government officer was continuously refusing to abide by the federal government’s order to report back, saying no comprise could be made on the prestige of the court. Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said the matter was quite simple, for it did not pertain to a person, but to the rule of law, asking why could the government not ensure the supremacy of Section 10 of Civil Servants Act.
