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Saturday, January 21, 2012
SC orders arrest of PM’s ex-media coordinator* Court warns FIA chief of strict action if he fails to arrest the accused
* PM’s House spokesman says Khurram Rasool never served as prime minister’s media coordinator
ISLAMABAD: Giving four days to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general for the arrest of Mian Khurram Rasool, former media coordinator to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who had been accused of extorting Rs 430 million fraudulently, the Supreme Court on Friday warned that if he failed to arrest Khurram Rasool then action would initiated against him (DG FIA).
A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has been hearing a petition filed by Pervaiz Hussain against PTV’s ex-media advisor Mian Khurram Rasool, who had allegedly swindled over Rs 430 million from Karachi based business concern on the pretext of managing petroleum export licence to NATO.
During the hearing, the chief justice observed that nobody had dared arrest the accused earlier because he was residing in the Prime Minister’s House. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain asked how was it possible that the FIA was clueless about the whereabouts of the accused. The counsel for petitioner, Rasheed A Rizvi, apprised the bench that Khurram Rasool and his brother Shahid Mehmood and one Ghulam Ghaus managed to forge the signature of the Petroleum and Natural Resources secretary on various agreements.
Director (Legal) FIA Azam Khan informed the court that the agency was clueless about the whereabouts of the accused so far. He, however, sought more time to comply with the court orders to apprehend the accused. The court directed incumbent head of the FIA to appear before the bench along with Rasool on January 24 otherwise the court would take action against him.
Rizvi apprised the bench that Rasool received money on the pretext of managing a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) quota and oil export licence to NATO forces in Afghanistan for two companies of the petitioners, namely Sahara Gas (Pvt) Limited and Pak Delta Enterprises (Pvt) Limited.
Rizvi pleaded that Khurram Rasool also allegedly got the support of officials of a bank in Islamabad where, he said, accounts were opened in the name of fake partnership without observing the State Bank of Pakistan’s instructions in opening a new account.
The bench was apprised that the matter was brought to the notice of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who directed his principal secretary to write to the Interior Secretary for initiation of an inquiry. The inquiry found Rasool guilty and an FIR was registered against him, his brother Shahid Mehmood and other accomplices and officials of that bank. Rizvi added that the FIA neither arrested any accused mentioned in the FIR nor did it conduct an investigation. The court adjourned the hearing till January 24.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Prime Minister’s House on Friday clarified that Mian Khurram Rasool never served as Media Coordinator to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Mian Khurram Rasool was rather a Media Coordinator Northern Pakistan, Pakistan Television Corporation Limited, he said. The spokesman said that some media channels and newspapers were erroneously referring to him (Khurram Rasool) as the former media coordinator to the prime minister, which was contrary to the facts.
The spokesman asked the TV channels and newspapers not to refer to Mian Khurram Rasool as the media coordinator of the prime minister. hasnaat malik/app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk