Forging MPs’ signatures: FIA told to nab counterfeiter

Senate also condemns Ansar Burni’s allegations against Fazl.

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest a man who misused lawmakers’ official stationery to collect around Rs10 million.

The Senate standing committee on rules of procedures and privileges issued these directions on Tuesday while considering a privilege motion moved by Senator Mir Wali Muhammad Badini, whose signatures were forged and letter pad used to secure funds amounting to Rs10 million from the ministry of local government and rural development.

Mujahid Shah, a citizen of Bannu district, collected the amount from different contractors in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa illegally in 2009 while one Sajid Kamal deposited the money in Bank Alfalah’s Bannu branch in August 2009.

Committee chairperson Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi directed DCO Bannu to submit a detailed report and ensure that the accused are arrested.

Earlier, Director-General FIA Wasim Ahmad was also directed to probe the matter and submit details. In its three-page investigation report, available with The Express Tribune, the agency concluded that “no government official is involved in the subject matter, no government funds have been embezzled and there is no availability of fake documents.”

According to the report, the forged documents, while prepared by Shah, had not been submitted to any government department for transfer of funds. Badini said that there were several instances of forging of signatures of lawmakers from all provinces whose letter pads were being misused by the unknown persons.

The committee also considered a privilege motion, moved by Senator Azam Khan Swati on November 26 last year, regarding the allegations levelled by former human rights minister Ansar Burni against Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The committee took strong notice of absence of Burney from the meeting who was summoned by the committee under the Senate rules in order to explain his position on the statement made by him.

Condemning his statement, the committee unanimously agreed that Burney had committed breach of privilege of the House, its members and the committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2011.