Officer’s vengeance?: NA privilege panel finds Hajj investigator biased
Its report says Hussain Asghar unjustly implicated Qadir Gilani in Hajj scam.
ISLAMABAD:
A National Assembly committee declared Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer Hussain Asghar guilty of baselessly implicating MNA Abdul Qadir Gilani in the Hajj scam case.
“Asghar, the investigation officer, maliciously attempted to implicate Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani in the Hajj scam case to harass him and lower his esteem,” said the National Assembly Privilege Committee report submitted by its chairman Abdul Ghafoor Chaudhry.
The report recommended to the house that relevant authorities should be directed to take disciplinary action against Asghar, the FIA Director probing the Hajj scam case on Supreme Court orders, in accordance with law.
The committee was constituted on the direction of NA panel’s chief after Gilani complained that he was being harassed by the FIA officer who was issuing him summons to face the Hajj scam inquiry.
The son of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, Qadir has accused that Asghar was being vindictive and biased against him as the issue he was taking up had ‘already been settled’.
“The committee found the FIA officer biased in his investigations against Qadir Gilani because his father, the former premier, had suspended the officer, and transferred him during his tenure. The entire investigation is the outcome of rancour and violates the law, thus a fair investigation is not expected,” said the report.
The report further said that the Interior Ministry had revealed that Asghar had not informed or consulted the ministry before issuing notices to Qadir Gilani. Furthermore, the director general of FIA told the committee that he was also not taken on board by Asghar for investigations.
Question hour
Work on the Pakistani segment of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is likely to begin in another two months while the flow of gas will start by the end of December 2014, the Adviser to Prime Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain informed the house.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, told the house that Pakistan was committed to completing the project. “We signed the project with Iran despite all the pressure and did not bow down before it,” said Kaira.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.
A National Assembly committee declared Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer Hussain Asghar guilty of baselessly implicating MNA Abdul Qadir Gilani in the Hajj scam case.
“Asghar, the investigation officer, maliciously attempted to implicate Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani in the Hajj scam case to harass him and lower his esteem,” said the National Assembly Privilege Committee report submitted by its chairman Abdul Ghafoor Chaudhry.
The report recommended to the house that relevant authorities should be directed to take disciplinary action against Asghar, the FIA Director probing the Hajj scam case on Supreme Court orders, in accordance with law.
The committee was constituted on the direction of NA panel’s chief after Gilani complained that he was being harassed by the FIA officer who was issuing him summons to face the Hajj scam inquiry.
The son of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, Qadir has accused that Asghar was being vindictive and biased against him as the issue he was taking up had ‘already been settled’.
“The committee found the FIA officer biased in his investigations against Qadir Gilani because his father, the former premier, had suspended the officer, and transferred him during his tenure. The entire investigation is the outcome of rancour and violates the law, thus a fair investigation is not expected,” said the report.
The report further said that the Interior Ministry had revealed that Asghar had not informed or consulted the ministry before issuing notices to Qadir Gilani. Furthermore, the director general of FIA told the committee that he was also not taken on board by Asghar for investigations.
Question hour
Work on the Pakistani segment of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is likely to begin in another two months while the flow of gas will start by the end of December 2014, the Adviser to Prime Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain informed the house.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, told the house that Pakistan was committed to completing the project. “We signed the project with Iran despite all the pressure and did not bow down before it,” said Kaira.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.