SC angered by bureau’s inability to arrest Ogra’s ex-chairman.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest former Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) chairman Tauqir Sadiq by January 22.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, expressed its anger over the failure to arrest Sadiq. The court also directed them to expedite their efforts to arrest him and submit a report at the next hearing.
Chief Justice Chaudhry remarked that the former Ogra chairman travelled in Senate cars and therefore one could infer who he fled with from the country. The chief justice inquired what steps NAB had taken to arrest the people who were involved in the appointment of Sadiq as the chairman.
Justice Khawaja also echoed the chief justice’s remarks by saying that it had come to light after investigations that the former Ogra chairman travelled in a Senate car on a motorway from Islamabad to Lahore. NAB’s investigation officer pointed this out to the motorway police but they did not cooperate, he said.
The judge stated that thus far not a single person had been arrested, nor were any references filed in the court. He ordered NAB to proceed against those officials who were responsible for appointing Sadiq.
The counsel for NAB told the bench that a team had been constituted to arrest Sadiq. Justice Khawaja said the team was abroad for the last three days. Chief Justice Chaudhry added that if the Sindh police, acting on a court order in Shahzeb Khan’s murder case, managed to arrest and repatriate the prime suspect Shahrukh Jatoi from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), then why was NAB not doing the same and bringing Sadiq back from the UAE.
Later, on the request of NAB, the apex court adjourned the hearing till January 22 and ordered the top anti-corruption body to arrest Sadiq before the next hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2013.
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What a pathetic state of affairs in Pakistan! The State maschinery is helpless to catch a criminal who evades arrest, mocks the Pakistan Nation by hide and seek, literally slaps the face of Pakistan and gets away. He has proved that the NAB and other agencies are at his command. Shame to the Government of Pakistan. The world has watched your helplessness with amazement. Any action by the decent people of Pakistan against this corrupt government and its allies will be wellcomed.