Land scandal: NICL case loses steam after Qureshi’s departure
FIA team fails to submit progress report after additional director-general’s retirement.
LAHORE:
Since Zafar Qureshi’s retirement from the Federal Investigation Agency, his team probing the multi-billion rupee National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) corruption case has not submitted its fortnightly report before the Supreme Court.
Zafar Qureshi retired as the additional director-general of the FIA and managing director National Police Foundation on September 30. At the time of his retirement, Qureshi was the chief investigator of the controversial NICL scandal that had left him caught between the executive and judiciary.
The last fortnightly report was to be submitted on October 6, but it was not done so. All reports are to be presented to Supreme Court Judge Justice Amir Hani Muslim.
According to the Supreme Court’s orders, FIA Director-General Tahsin Anwar Shah was supposed to assist Qureshi in the NICL case investigations. But the FIA director has frequently left the country in mysterious circumstances to allegedly avoid implementing court orders.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim had sent a notice to the interior secretary on September 19 saying that the DG FIA’s failure to sign any progress report may lead to contempt of court proceedings against him.
Justice Muslim directed the interior secretary to ask Shah for an explanation within three days, but Shah left the country instead. He returned to Pakistan on a one-page emergency passport last weekend, it is learnt.
Earlier, when Shah was supposed to submit a compliance report in the second week of July, he left for the UK.
On August 8, the Supreme Court had directed the NICL investigation team to submit a progress report on the
case every two weeks.
The court also made the DG FIA a team member of the NICL investigation team led by Zafar Qureshi.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2011.
Since Zafar Qureshi’s retirement from the Federal Investigation Agency, his team probing the multi-billion rupee National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) corruption case has not submitted its fortnightly report before the Supreme Court.
Zafar Qureshi retired as the additional director-general of the FIA and managing director National Police Foundation on September 30. At the time of his retirement, Qureshi was the chief investigator of the controversial NICL scandal that had left him caught between the executive and judiciary.
The last fortnightly report was to be submitted on October 6, but it was not done so. All reports are to be presented to Supreme Court Judge Justice Amir Hani Muslim.
According to the Supreme Court’s orders, FIA Director-General Tahsin Anwar Shah was supposed to assist Qureshi in the NICL case investigations. But the FIA director has frequently left the country in mysterious circumstances to allegedly avoid implementing court orders.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim had sent a notice to the interior secretary on September 19 saying that the DG FIA’s failure to sign any progress report may lead to contempt of court proceedings against him.
Justice Muslim directed the interior secretary to ask Shah for an explanation within three days, but Shah left the country instead. He returned to Pakistan on a one-page emergency passport last weekend, it is learnt.
Earlier, when Shah was supposed to submit a compliance report in the second week of July, he left for the UK.
On August 8, the Supreme Court had directed the NICL investigation team to submit a progress report on the
case every two weeks.
The court also made the DG FIA a team member of the NICL investigation team led by Zafar Qureshi.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2011.