Hussain Asghar heads back to FIA

G-B govt relieves former Hajj scam investigator from his post as the region’s IGP.

GILGIT:

The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government finally relieved its police chief Hussain Asghar from his duties on Friday, after his suspension orders were submitted to the Supreme Court a day earlier.

“Hussain Asghar is no more the Inspector General of Police in Gilgit-Baltistan as he has been relieved of his duties today (Friday),” Regional Education Minister Dr Ali Madad Sher, who is also the G-B government’s spokesperson, told The Express Tribune.

Asghar has left Gilgit for Islamabad and will report to the concerned department, Sher said, adding that Mohammad Ali Khan, the local DIG, has been made acting IGP till Asghar’s replacement arrives in Gilgit.

The Supreme Court had directed the government to suspend Asghar and withhold his salary for failing to report back to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the Hajj scam.

Chief Minister Mehdi Shah, however, said last week that Asghar would continue working in his capacity as the IGP if a replacement of his (Shah’s) choice was not appointed.

Shah also said that the Supreme Court orders did not apply to G-B given the vague constitutional status of the region.

However, Hussain was quietly relieved after Attorney General Irfan Qadir produced his suspension notification before a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on Thursday.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2012.