2010 Hajj scam: Kazmi, Aftabul Islam, Rao Shakeel indicted
Charge sheet presented to accused who pleaded not guilty; say they will prove that judgement was wrong.
RAWALPINDI:
The trial court hearing the Hajj corruption case of 2010 indicted former federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi along with two other accused in the scam, former additional secretary to ministry of religious affairs Raja Aftabul Islam and former director-general Hajj Rao Shakeel, Express News reported Tuesday.
Special Judge Central Mian Khalid Shabbir presided over the hearing in which a charge sheet was presented to the accused who pleaded not guilty and said that they will prove that the judgement was wrong.
The court summoned prosecution witnesses on the next date of hearing.
‘I was trapped in the scam’
Speaking to the media outside the court Kazmi said that the FIR lodged in 2010 had “trapped him” in the scam.
He said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials told the court during the hearing that they were “under pressure”.
Speaking about his acquittal plea, former minister said that “he wasn’t given relief according to the law” for which he was disappointed.
He said that the list of witnesses in the case did not have the name of former minister Azam Swati, on whose statement, suo moto action was taken against Kazmi.
Swati had pursued the Hajj corruption case in the Supreme Court relentlessly, which ultimately forced the government to sack former religious affairs minister.
Kazmi said, “Swati’s claims were proven wrong last year in January in the Supreme Court – the same person who brought me here. His name is not there among the witnesses.”
He further said that he had filed a case against Swati for compensation of the damages made to him.
He said that the court did not have any grounds to frame charges against him and to indict him and that he will challenge the indictment.
“When the prosecution says that they have no evidence against me, then why did they indict me? You see where I stand,” he said.
The trial court hearing the Hajj corruption case of 2010 indicted former federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi along with two other accused in the scam, former additional secretary to ministry of religious affairs Raja Aftabul Islam and former director-general Hajj Rao Shakeel, Express News reported Tuesday.
Special Judge Central Mian Khalid Shabbir presided over the hearing in which a charge sheet was presented to the accused who pleaded not guilty and said that they will prove that the judgement was wrong.
The court summoned prosecution witnesses on the next date of hearing.
‘I was trapped in the scam’
Speaking to the media outside the court Kazmi said that the FIR lodged in 2010 had “trapped him” in the scam.
He said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials told the court during the hearing that they were “under pressure”.
Speaking about his acquittal plea, former minister said that “he wasn’t given relief according to the law” for which he was disappointed.
He said that the list of witnesses in the case did not have the name of former minister Azam Swati, on whose statement, suo moto action was taken against Kazmi.
Swati had pursued the Hajj corruption case in the Supreme Court relentlessly, which ultimately forced the government to sack former religious affairs minister.
Kazmi said, “Swati’s claims were proven wrong last year in January in the Supreme Court – the same person who brought me here. His name is not there among the witnesses.”
He further said that he had filed a case against Swati for compensation of the damages made to him.
He said that the court did not have any grounds to frame charges against him and to indict him and that he will challenge the indictment.
“When the prosecution says that they have no evidence against me, then why did they indict me? You see where I stand,” he said.