LAHORE:
A bomb hoax call on Saturday kept recently restored Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director General Zafar Qureshi from entering his office at the FIA’s provincial headquarters in Lahore.
Qureshi, who is also the lead investigator of the multi-billion-rupee National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scam, had called a meeting of the investigation team on Saturday at the FIA office in Lahore.
When he arrived around 12:15 pm, Qureshi found the door locked.
Sources said the hoax call might have been an attempt to disrupt Qureshi’s meeting.
A phone call made to Assistant Director FIA Security Wing Khawaja Hammadur Rehman’s cell phone at 10:07 am from an unidentified number warned him of a bomb planted inside the FIA building, sources told The Express Tribune. The call lasted approximately six to seven seconds, and the caller hung up say: “Whoever wants to save their lives must leave the building immediately.”
The Police Emergency Control and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) were alerted immediately after the call was received, FIA officials said. Station House Officer (SHO) of the Civil Lines Police Station and the BDS arrived at the scene at around 10:25 am. SHO Civil Lines police station Inspector Abid Rasheed said that the message was conveyed to him at 10:19 am.
Soon after the threat, Rangers and police personnel, including the FIA’s security wing were put on high alert, and no one was allowed to enter the FIA office.
The entire building was evacuated immediately after the threatening phone call, and no members of the media were allowed to enter the premises.
The FIA, Punjab’s office has been attacked twice before. An explosive-laden car had hit the building, killing 26 people on March 11, 2008. Thirteen of those killed were FIA officials.
The same office was attacked again by a suicide bomber on October 15, 2009 who managed to kill six people just outside the premises.
Following the incident, Qureshi rescheduled the meeting on Monday, sources revealed.
FIA’s Punjab Director Waqar Haider left for Islamabad on Saturday morning to meet Interior Minister Rehman Malik regarding the NICL investigation, sources added.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2011.
COMMENTS (18)
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These vultures will break this guy..... I am sure....
ZAFAR QURESHI FOR PRESIDENT
The govt. has really revealed through it's unconstitutional and unlawful acts that Zafar Qureshi is really a great hero and an honest officer, otherwise the govt. would not have treated with him like this.....
Amazing enough, things are not in the tighter control of Superior Court of this country. They should have to think about the implementation of their verdicts. Either Qureshi is the only one available in this country who is touching the optimal level of integrity and honesty ?
Let the things keep moving. The hidden objectives of Government are being achieved as they have no fear of anyone in this world. Moonis is enjoying the same life. Qureshi in my view is unable to investigate the NICL now in the real sense.
After getting some hectic blows from the Government he is still interested to take up the NICL and other high profile corporate cases. The question is still unanswered that either we have one and only honest and dignified person available in our country (Mr. Qureshi) ?
Mr. Qureshi you should think about to leave the Investigation as because of you our functionaries has already wasted their precious time in order to get you re-instated and terminated etc.
Please for the sake of larger interest of this country you should say good bye to such type of corporate case where the outcome is NIL in past and in future as assumed.
Everyday I say, "this is it, rulers cannot fall lower than this", but every day they beat previous day's record.
Supreme Court either craks down heavyly on who ever does not follow it's orders or forget it...............................
Hmmmmm. Our Chief Justic will now take notice.......!
Judiciary is a balance wheel of whole system its orders,decisions,judgments must be respected.
We should respect apex court orders.
the act,in response of the apex court order is opened violence.
Its all to create fear and choudry brother can do ever thing for there Son Monis Elhai, I requested to Chief justices to save Zafar Qureshi other wise Punjabi Choudryies never let him alive, Salute to zafar Qureshi for his professionalism commitment.
come one this is pathetic.....government needs to think out of the box...something which would keep Qureshi out of the office long enough to allow the govt to complete its tenure....Moonis Ellahi needs protection. how about secretly transporting Ellahi to UK or Dubai ...of course he can later return to rule over us ...claiming all the purported suits were part of political victimization....hows that for a suggestion..... m I a genius or what ?:D
Doesn't the government with all its coalition partners stand exposed? The more they do such tactics the more they prove themselves.
our Pakistan has been hijacked by Crooks , we want our pakistan back..