Establishment division suspends Hussain Asghar for defying SC orders

Asghar was previously heading investigation team probing the 2010 Hajj scandal, failed to report back to FIA.

ISLAMABAD: The establishment division suspended Gilgit-Baltistan’s Inspector General of Police (IG) Hussain Asghar on Thursday for defying Supreme Court orders.

During today’s hearing, Attorney General Irfan Qadir produced the suspension notification for Asghar before a three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Qadir also told the bench that Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had been informed about the court order.

The bench adjourned the hearing for an indefinite time period after receiving the suspension notification for Asghar.

Asghar was previously heading the investigation team probing the 2010 Hajj scandal and was asked by the court to report back to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headquarters, where he was earlier serving as the director general. He, however, failed to do so despite repeated orders and continued to work as Gilgit-Baltistan’s IG Police.

The then Principal Secretary to the prime minister Khushnood Lashari had assured the court earlier that Asghar’s services would be suspended if he did not report back to FIA headquarters immediately.

Chief Justice Chaudhry said there would be no compromise over the prestige of the court and voiced concern over how an officer could continuously ignore the federal government’s orders.

Justice Jawwad Khawaja also expressed dissatisfaction, questioning how the government could ensure the supremacy of Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act if orders were defied so blatantly.

Qadir added he has appointed Federal Secretary for National Regulations and Services Imtiaz Inayat Elahi as an inquiry officer to initiate departmental proceedings against Hussain Asghar.