ISLAMABAD:
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary ordered Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) Tehsin Anwar Shah to reinstate Hussain Asghar and his team that was investigating the 2010 Hajj corruption scam, warning that those who violate court orders ‘will be sent to jail first and would be heard later’.
The chief justice also criticised the absence of DG FIA and director (legal) FIA and summoned them to appear in the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday (today).
A six-member larger bench of the apex court comprising the CJP, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Tariq Parvez, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ghulam Rabbani heard the suo motu case regarding pervasive corruption in the Hajj arrangements in 2010. The case was adjourned until Tuesday (today).
The SC ordered the secretary of the establishment division to immediately issue notification for the reinstatement of Asghar, the former investigator of the Hajj corruption scam case, and submit a compliance report in the registrar’s office on Tuesday (today).
The SC also sought the list of officers available at the time when Asgher was suddenly posted as the inspector general (IG) of Gilgit-Baltistan by the establishment secretary.
Asghar, who was earlier serving as the director FIA and probing the corruption scam, was transferred and posted as the IG police in G-B.
FIA Additional Director Chaudhry Manzoor submitted the report of the Hajj scam but the court declared it unsatisfactory and observed that since Asghar and his team had been transferred, no progress had been made in the case.
“Undoubtedly the court had politely expressed its reservation which was taken lightly by the authorities and the apex court orders have been flouted.”
Earlier, during the course of the proceedings, the chief justice noticed that progress in any corruption case had often triggered the government to make changes in the investigating officers.
“Somehow someone is protected,” said Justice Chaudhry.
“The government is diverting attention as some ministers are involved in the case.”
He said that Asghar was removed because he was making progress in the case.
Meanwhile, the attorney general informed the SC that show-cause notice had been issued to Javed Bukhari.
The chief justice said: “In the last hearing we had directed to make Javed Bukhari the investigating officer as the officer on special duty (OSD), which has not been complied with yet.”
Justice Tariq Pervaiz said that it seemed that the government was inflexible in implementing the apex court orders.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.
COMMENTS (6)
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You cannot get an officer fired, no matter how retarded he is. He can only be fired if is efficient and does his job. Which is apparently the case here
Decide the case SC instead of wasting time. If you feel govt / FIA is hiding some thing to save its pple then decide at your own assessment. This reinstatement will only waste time and efforts for undesired reasons.
Nothing will happen. The tamasha will go on and on.
What a waste of time and precious resources? It is not SC's prerogative to meddle into administrative affairs (appointments, reinstatements) nor is the Government likely to implement its orders as before.