NICL case: Qureshi to submit report to Supreme Court today

Four reporters have been summoned to testify as well.

LAHORE: In his first report filed to the Supreme Court since his reinstatement, Zafar Qureshi, the lead investigator into the embezzlement scandal at the state-owned National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL), on Monday (today) is expected to detail the manner in which the government allegedly created hindrances in his probe.

The Supreme Court required Qureshi, an additional director-general at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), to submit fortnightly reports on the progress of his investigation that has thus far implicated several prominent politicians affiliated with the ruling coalition.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Qureshi is expected to state that his investigation has made no progress since he was removed from his post at the FIA, as well as the probe, on April 18. He is expected to offer details on the summons he has issued since resuming charge of the investigation under the court’s orders.

Meanwhile, a judicial commission appointed by the Supreme Court has also summoned four reporters of three English newspapers to offer their testimony on the alleged smear campaign against the judiciary and the investigation into NICL scam.

Over the past several months, advertisements had begun appearing in various media outlets proclaiming the innocence of Moonis Elahi, a prominent leader of the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) and one of the principal accused in the case. The ads also implied a hostile political agenda on the part of the judiciary and Qureshi.

On August 18, Justice Ghulam Rabbani was appointed to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Qureshi is also expected to detail the actions he took after prosecutors in the case behaved inappropriately.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd,  2011.