The Supreme Court (SC), after receiving a report from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), issued notice to Ismail Qureshi, former secretary establishment for appointing former DG Hajj Rao Shakeel.
According to a private television channel, a two-judge bench of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja heard the case where Hussain Asghar, an FIA director, submitted the report to the bench.
The report affirms that Ismail Qureshi, the then Secretary Establishment Division appointed Rao Shakeel as Director General Hajj.
The apex court forbade the arrest of Ismail Qureshi; hence, the more details ought to be elicited from Nargis Sethi, the reports states. On this, the court issued notice to former secretary Qureshi.
Hussain Asghar told the court that Punjab Governor Sardar Muhammed Latif Khosa is impeding in getting Zain Sukhera’s degree verified. Zain Sukhera is a friend of Abdul Qadir Gilani—the son of former Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
It is pertinent to note here that FIA’s investigation team led by Hussain Asghar, summoned Abdul Qadir Gilani and Sukhera for investigation in Hajj corruption case, after it was mandated by the apex court to initiate the probe.
On a query from the court, he further revealed vice chancellor of Bahauddin Zakariya University also is not cooperating with the investigation team.
It should be mentioned here that there is an interim order from Islamabad High Court (IHC) for an action against Zain Sukhera; against which the FIA filed an appeal in the apex court.
The Chief Justice Chaudhry said the court will hear the FIA’s appeal during the next hearing.
