An official of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had gotten two passports of former OGRA chairman Tauqeer Sadiq cancelled.
Sadiq has purportedly fled to Dhaka from Nepal. The two-member SC bench of Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain took up the issue of implementation of its verdict over the appointment of former head of OGRA. During the course of the proceedings, an FIA officer told the bench that they had been probing the issuance of two passports to Sadiq.
NAB Additional Prosecutor General Fauzee Ali Zafar said the red warrant for former OGRA chief could not be issued until he was declared an absconder by the trial court. Justice Khawaja told him that it was NAB’s job to pursue his case. The NAB official replied that they would pursue their reference pending against him but the administrative judge of the accountability court was yet to be appointed.
Upon the bench’s query, Deputy Attorney General Dil Muhammad Alizai said the Lahore High Court chief justice had to make such appointments. He said on July 9, 2012, they had sent their request to the LHC CJ for appointing a supervising judge.
The bench asked the NAB officials that if such an appointment was not made, then they could have moved a writ to which Fauzee replied that they would do exactly that. Justice Khawaja said they could not allow a person to embezzle a hefty public amount of Rs 82 billion.
Motorways Police Inspector General Zafar Abbas apprised the bench that they had suspended two inspectors, who had failed to forward the required information. The bench observed that such a step would not serve the purpose as the ultimate responsibility rested upon his shoulders.
The FIA officials informed the bench that they had deployed a task force on certain border areas like Taftan border to keep a vigil on illegal mass movement and there was a possibility that Sadiq had used such a route to leave the country.
Justice Hussain said they had been hearing that foreigners had illegally entered into Pakistan and staying here, adding that why had the system of detection not been improved. Justice Khawaja said it was indeed a matter of great concern as terrorist incidents were on the rise. The bench adjourned further proceedings until January 10.
