Ensuring compliance: OGRA ex-chief’s passport cancelled, FIA tells apex court

Agency says it has shared with Interpol complete information about Tauqir Sadiq.

ISLAMABAD:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that both the passports of former chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Tauqir Sadiq, had been cancelled and instructions sent to Interpol in relation with the arrest orders against him.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Khalji Arif Hussain was hearing a case related to the Ogra chief’s arrest orders.

FIA officials told the bench that both passports of the Ogra ex-chief had been cancelled and his full details had already been sent to the Interpol for necessary action.

However, FIA officials informed the court that the agency could not declare him an “absconder” without a ‘red warrant’ notice to be issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Justice Khawaja then asked the FIA to inform the court which authority had issued two passports to Sadiq — who has been charged with corruption in Ogra when he headed the body.



Upon this, FIA officials stated that investigations as to which authority had issued him more than one passport were ongoing. The bench also directed the senior most judges of the accountability courts to act as administrative judges for the interim period and issued directives to send a copy of the court order to the Lahore High Court’s registrar.

Motorways and Highways Inspector General Police Zafar Abbas Lak informed the bench that two senior patrolling officers of the motorway, one from Rawalpindi and another from Lahore, have been suspended for not circulating the message pertaining to Sadiq’s arrest to the check posts concerned in a timely manner. An irked Justice Khawaja asked the Motorway IGP why action was being taken now when in fact directives of his arrests had been given on December 10.

Meanwhile, Justice Hussain stated, “We are told that foreigners come to the country and are creating problems. But we don’t know who comes and goes from the country as there is no mechanism to keep a check upon them. Is this not a failure of the authorities concerned?”

He noted that the illegal infiltration of foreigners in the country was increasing day by day, which was not in the “interests of the country”.

The bench also stated that the possibility of Sadiq having left the country could not be ruled out. Judges were of the view that people also cross the borders illegally through boats and ferries and questioned the efficacy of the coastguard.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2013.