Faisal, who held the position of assistant director at the bureau, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room at the federal lodge number 2. PHOTO: FILE
The mysterious death of NAB assistant director Kamran Faisal has added a new dimension to the Rental Power Projects (RPP) case, involving Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. Connections between the events are immediately being drawn, though things as yet are far from clear. Faisal, an investigator in the RPP case, and according to some accounts, the author of the main report in it, was found on January 18 hanging from a ceiling fan at his allotted residence in the Federal Lodge in Islamabad. The police, including the Inspector General Islamabad, have stated that the death appeared to be a case of suicide, with the single door to the room locked from the inside. However the family of the officer, including his father, has immediately raised doubts over the suicide story, holding that Faisal, the father of two children, was murdered.
An autopsy has been ordered, and while its initial report has termed Faisal’s death a suicide, the whole matter remains bizarre and rather troubling. It also remains to be seen what action, if any, the Supreme Court — which is now due to take up the RPP case on January 23, after rejecting the NAB report submitted to it as ‘unsatisfactory’ — will take over the matter.
There can be little doubt that Kamran Faisal must have been under a fair degree of pressure, as are many NAB officials. However, he had a fair amount of experience, having joined the force in 2006, and it is not known what kind of turmoil he may have been facing. Right now, there are simply too many variables. All we have is mere conjecture, and this too is not healthy. Given the nature of the case and the delicacy of the RPP issue, it is important we get to the bottom of the matter. Otherwise speculation will continue, adding not only to the complications in this case but to the troubled political scenario as a whole, at a time when too many doubts waft through the air keeping us all bound in an unsettling net of uncertainty.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 20th, 2013.
COMMENTS (9)
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A simple forensic analysis and telephone calls would indeed reveal that a honest officer and good officer has been killed in cold blood. Unless Kamran 's killer are brought to justice no officer would dare challenge the status quo. Now it is poor parents, children and his wife who has to deal with ghastliness of his killers. In Pakistan every one wants to rid of corruption but as is obvious from this profile case that no man who speaks the truth is safe from the killers in high place and they do their deeds with impunity. I hope his killers are given exemplary punishment and Chaudhry should take this case. Kamran for his family sake wanted off this case because he was threatened by the would be killers days in advance to alter his report but he refused.
they should also do a forensic analysis of his phone records!
the case must be fairly invesetigated. But the question remians, who is relliable to invistigate. Kamrain is either murdered or simply pressurized him to the extent to coommit suicide. In both the cases the culprit should be bring to justice. But there is no hope in a situation where many innocent people are killed on daily basis, either in quetta in a bomb blast or in KP Bara. A government which can not bring to justic the people responsible for the murder of their Leader BB can not invistigate a case like that of Kamran Faisal.
People should remember the 2002 case of Omar Asghar Khan. I see a lot of parallels here. Big money and big corporations are involved.
This is from Quetta, I believe. He had decent and fair reputation when he was working in NAB Quetta.
A very balanced and fair editorial by ET. We must get to the bottom of it and the matter is already in the SC which is no friend of PPP. SC would get all the autopsy and medical reports and would decide the issue. Faisal's report was not only complete but already submitted to SC. The NAB chief is no other than ex-naval chief Admiral Bokhari. Between a top most army official and the SC there should not be any doubt that truth would come out. Under pressure people do commit suicide a few examples are Pakistan's cricket coach, and Air Marshall Asghar Khan's son. Their families do not have any idea otherwise they would not be able to kill themselves. The investigator's life should be free from all blemishes. Because anybody can find dirt and pressure him to do the favors. Let the Admiral and SC find the truth.
Even if he had committed suicide, take into account the amount of pressure he might have been enduring! His superiors must be questioned and punitive actions must be taken!
Arrest the incompetent and corrupt chairman.
A case of this importance should have absolute transparency and credibility; B. Bhutto's case is also equally important, yet no one cared and so is OBL fiasco. Hence...