Court rejects bail plea of an accused in Rs1.5m land scam. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director to take action against his subordinates, who failed to arrest a magistrate involved in a corruption case.
The court rejected the bail plea of Asif Javed, an accused in Rs1.5 million land scam in which the FIA officials failed to arrest magistrate Farrukh Nadeem.
Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui directed FIA Director Hazrat Ali to take action against his subordinates, who failed to arrest, Farrukh Nadeem, a magistrate involved in the corruption case and submit a detailed report by September 16.
The FIA director assured the court that action would be taken against Nadeem.
“We are trying to arrest all of the accused involved in this case and have assured the court that stern action would be taken against them,” he said.
The official said the FIA had approached Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Amir Ali Ahmed regarding Nadeem’s whereabouts but their request was not heeded.
Islamabad Chief Commissioner Jawad Paul was not available for comment despite several attempts to reach him.
On September 11, the same bench had put the FIA director-general on notice over the issue.
According to the case, registered with the FIA in June this year, Javed had sold five kanals of land to Wallayat Khan Abbasi in Mora Noor, a suburb of the capital in 1991.
However, complainant Abbasi alleged that instead of transferring the land in his name, Javed withheld the land in connivance with the then tehsildar, Nadeem, after bribing him with Rs1.5 million.
He claimed that Javed again with the support of Nadeem and patwari (revenue officer) Muhammad Asim had recently reclaimed the five kanals which he had sold to Abbasi.
Illegal sale of 0.4m SIMs
Meanwhile, the IHC issued notices to senior government officials over the illegal sale and use of mobile subscriber identity modules (SIMs).
Chief Justice Anwar Khan Kasi issued notices to the secretaries of the interior and Information Technology (IT) ministries, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar, Inspector General of Police Sikandar Hayat and owners of mobile companies in response to a petition filed by a lawyer, seeking a ban on illegal SIMs in the country.
The petitioner maintained 0.4 million illegal SIMs are in use across the country and the government has no record of it. He contended that the illegal SIMs are in use of terrorists and the interior ministry is clueless about them. Moreover, the post of PTA chairman is still vacant even though the Supreme Court has ordered the government to appoint one by September 15.
Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had recently ordered a crackdown against illegal SIMs in the country.
The petitioner, G.M. Chaudhry, said PTA should suspend services of companies whose SIMs are being used for terrorist activities. He alleged that owners of mobile companies have been selling illegal SIMs to earn more revenue. The court sought replies from concerned parties and adjourned the case hearing till September 22.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2013.
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