News
Saturday, April 30, 2011
SC asks FIA to get back its officers probing Hajj case
* CJP says if Bukhari and Asghar not called back on their previous posts, court will cancel their transfer directives
* Asks FIA not to harass journalists who performed Hajj on govt expense
By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court, on Friday, while expressing its dismay over the transfer of two Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) investigators tasked with probing the embezzlement in last year’s Hajj arrangements, directed the agency’s director general to call them back otherwise their transfer orders would be cancelled.
“If Javed Hussain Bukhari and Hussain Asghar are not brought back to their previous posts, the court would cancel their transfer directives,” said Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as a four-judge bench resumed the hearing of a suo motu case of the misappropriation in 2010 Hajj arrangements.
The bench, which also included Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, passed directives for withdrawal of the transfer orders of both the investigators, observing that in any case under adjudication, a transfer could not be made, as it was a direct interference in affairs of the judiciary.
During Friday’s proceedings, when FIA Director General Malik Iqbal told the court that the prime minister would have to be approached for repatriation of the two officials, Justice Chaudhry held that the court wanted implementation of its orders, “you may talk to anyone you feel like”.
Appearing before the court on a notice, Establishment Division Secretary Abdul Rauf Chaudhry said that former FIA additional director general Javed Hussain Bukhari and former FIA director Hussain Asghar had been relieved of their duties.
Justice Chaudhry noted that whenever cognisance of a corruption case was taken, such transfers took place and the probe process was marred. Justice Ahmed remarked that transfer of the two officials was an attempt to render the court’s orders ineffective. During the hearing, counsel for former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi requested the court to order action against Senator Azam Khan Swati and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Umar Khan Ali Sherzai, who had levelled allegations against Kazmi but could not prove them. Justice Iqbal asked him to approach the trial court in this regard.
On Friday, the CJP again directed the FIA not to harass those journalists who had performed Hajj on the government expenses, saying that they (journalists) had stayed in Saudi Arabia for 10 days, whereas, they were being asked to pay charges for 40 days’ stay which, he observed, was not a correct allegation. The court adjourned the hearing of the case until May 6 to allow the FIA authorities to reconsider transfer of the two officials.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk