The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday suspended the transfer notification of NICL inquiry officer
and Additional Director General Zafar Ahmed Qureshi as Director General
of the National Police Foundation (NPF) and court also directed the
Director General FIA to extend full assistance to Zafar Qureshi during
the investigations of the NICL scam.
The court suspended the notification after Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani refused to sign a summary re-appointing Qureshi as the
investigation officer in the case.
Three member bench of the SC headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Tariq Pervez Khan and Justice
Amir Hani Muslim heard the contempt case against three senior
bureaucrats and NICL her eon Friday.
The court has directed Zaffar Qureshi to submit the report of the
investigations after every 15 days in the chamber of the Justice Amir
Hani Muslim.
The apex court had issued notices to three federal secretaries,
Interior Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, Establishment Secretary Abdul
Rauf Chaudhry and Khushnood Lashari, Principal Secretary to Prime
Minister, for willful defiance of apex court order in transferring
Qureshi from NICL case.
Former federal law minister Babar Awan, appearing on behalf of the
secretaries told the court that the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
has rejected the summary moved by the Establishment Division to repost
Zafar Qureshi, who was Additional Director General FIA and tasked with
investigating the NICL scam.
The Chief Justice remarked that the officer has recovered 1.74
billion rupees to the national exchequer, which was record recovery in
a criminal case.
Chide justice addressing Babar Awan said your representing three
officials, Babar Awan replied that I am representing federation as
these officials had done the deed in administrative way.
Babar Awan argued that the three officials had not done any crime,
adding that these officials had done the being the representatives of
the federation.
Court asked Babar Awan to read out the replies of the officials in
contempt of court case, Babar reading out the reply said that the step
of the officials is based on goodwill, adding that former DG FIA Malik
Iqbal had submitted that his summary was used by establishment division
miscalculating the words.
He said that the federation has to run the affairs of the country
and knows better what to do, adding that Malik Iqbal sought apology
from court, adding that the pardon only be sought from Allah and not
from any individual or court.
Chief justice in his remarks said that principal secretary to prime
minister in his reply wrote that he acted on the letter of DG FIA, on
this Babar Awan said that this is the point of view of the concerned
authority, adding that the government wants to bring back the looted
money.
Chief justice in his remarks said that if Zaffar Qureshi had been
incompetent the court would not have separated him from the
investigations, adding that there was no reason for separating him from
the investigations as court had deputed him on this responsibility.
Chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said that the court would not allow
anyone to loot the money of the masses, adding that PM should have
hailed the abilities of Qureshi instead of separating him from the
investigations.
Chief justice what loss of government is in brining back Zaffar
Qureshi; instead of the fact that the government itself have accepted
that it has no personal interest in the case.
Chief justice insisted from Awan weather Qureshi is not an honest
officer Babar Awan accepted that Qureshi is honest officer, adding that
he conducted investigations by endangering his life.
The court in its order said that the government, after removing
Zaffar Qureshi have not done anything for brining back looted money and
also have not done anything for brining back the offenders in NICL case
from abroad.
The CJP remarked that the court was observing patience, why the
government was bent upon disgracing the court? Later, the court sought
Attorney General’s comments regarding the order to suspend Zafar
Qureshi’s transfer after which the bench issued the instructions.
Chief Justice said that honest officers should not be treated in
this way and Zafar Qureshi was a competent officer, who nominated big
names in his investigations about their involvement, adding that court
admires the professionalism of anyone without any difference or
discrimination of friend or enemy and government should recover looted
money.
In the reply Babar Awan said that government respect institutions of
the country but there is formula for the distribution of powers, adding
that the prime minister has rejected the summary by using his powers.
Earlier on April 16, former DG FIA Malik Iqbal had written a letter
to the interior ministry on the NICL investigation, informing it about
the submission of interim challans to the relevant courts and about
some recovery. Consequently, the cabinet division issued a notification
on April 18 transferring Qureshi to the NPF despite the fact that the
investigation was in progress.
The hearing of case has been adjourned for an indefinite period. SANA
