Saudi Arabia to deport Hajj scandal suspect soon, SC told

Pakistani mission in Jeddah is in contact with Saudi authorities to work out details of Ahmed Faiz's deportation.

ISLAMABAD: Saudi authorities have assured the government of Pakistan that they will deport the prime suspect in the 2010 Hajj scandal, Ahmed Faiz, very soon, the Supreme Court was told on Friday.

Deputy Attorney General of Pakistan Sohail Mahmood submitted a letter from the Pakistani Consulate General Jeddah in the Supreme Court on Friday which claimed that concerned Saudi authorities had been formally requested to deport Faiz, who had been arrested in Riyadh two weeks ago.

As the SC heard the suo motu case regarding the implementation of court's judgment on the Hajj scam on Friday, a letter by Pakistani consulate official Nazar Gul was presented before the court. It said that Pakistani authorities had written to the Saudi Interior Ministry in Riyadh on July 7 requesting deportation of Faiz and that the letter had been followed up with repeated telephone calls.

“The written reply is still awaited. On July 13, the concerned officer of ministry of interior Riyadh called me on telephone and informed that Ahmed Faiz Shafi Muhammad would be deported to Islamabad (Pakistan) very soon. He asked me as to who would accompany the accused during deportation from Jeddah to Islamabad. He was told that an official of Consulate General of Pakistan Jeddah would be deputed to take him to Islamabad (Pakistan)", the letter added.

The letter further says that the Pakistani mission is in contact with concerned Saudi officials to work out further details of the deportation.

An FIA report had revealed that a notice was published in Urdu-language newspapers in Saudi Arabia through the ministry of religious affairs, offering a reward of Rs1 million for providing any information leading to the arrest of the former building supervisor. This advertisement had ultimately led to Faiz's arrest.