Misuse of authority? JIT submits report about Swati’s use of influence

Report and associated material submitted to Supreme Court’s registrar

ISLAMABAD: A joint investigation team, probing the matter of former Islamabad Police chief being transferred after he did not attend the phone call of a federal minister, has submitted its report to the apex court on Monday.

The team submitted the report, sealed in an envelope, to the Supreme Court’s registrar on Monday along with associated material in four boxes.

The JIT had been formed by the top court which had taken suo motu notice of former Islamabad Police Inspector General Jan Muhammad’s transfer from the capital. IGP Muhammad, a basic pay scale (BPS) grade 20 officer of the Police Services of Pakistan (PSP) had been directed to report to the Establishment Division on October 27.

The officer was transferred apparently following a verbal order from Prime Minister Imran Khan who was allegedly pushed into making the move following complaints from Federal Science and Technology Minister Azam Khan Swati.

The senator was apparently calling the IGP so that he could have a case registered against people living around his farmhouse. Swati had claimed that some men from the nearby slums had trespassed over his property and were getting into altercations with their staff.

As soon as Muhammad was removed as IGP, a case for the matter was registered at the Secretariat police station on the complaint of Swati’s son. The accused were arrested and sent to Adiala jail.

Later, the apex court had initiated suo motu proceedings and taking strong exception to the transfer of the IGP’ suspended the government’s order to transfer the policeman.

The top court constituted a three-member JIT to probe whether Swati used his influence in this matter; how he (Swati) made his assets and why he left the US whether he can return to America or not.

The JIT comprises the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) Ahmad Rizwan, the Federal Investigation Agency’s Mir Vaiz Niaz and a director general from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The JIT had been directed to submit its report within 14 days.

The bench had also asked the CDA to give details of the status of land occupied by Swati. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2018.