ISLAMABAD - A member of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team that collected evidence against General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf Wednesday recorded statement before the Special Court.
A three-judge Special Court headed by Justice Faisal Arab and comprising Justice Tahira Safdar and Justice Yawar Ali resumed hearing in the federation’s complaint for initiating high treason proceedings against former military dictator for abrogating and subverting the constitution on 3rd of November 2007. Khalid Rasool, member of FIA investigation team, while recording statement on oath submitted that his job was to collect the relevant documents from the concerned departments and deliver them to Khalid Qureshi, the head of the team. “I have no role except collecting the relevant documents from the concerned department and then handing them over to the head of the investigation team,” he said.
He informed that from 3rd December 2013 to 19th December 2013 he visited Cabinet Division, Ministry of Law and Justice, Pakistan Television and Printing Press of Pakistan for collection of relevant materials.
Yawar Hayat, defence counsel, objected that the letter was written by Khalid Qureshi to the deputy manager then how Khalid Rasool had collected the required documents from him. The court overruled the objection and asked to raise it during the arguments.
Khalid Rasool said that on December 3, 2013 he collected Proclamation of Emergency Order, Provisional Constitutional Order and Amendment PCO from Taj Umar Khan, deputy solicitor at ministry of law and justice.
He further said that on December 4, 2013, he visited Cabinet Division and met with Deputy Secretary Siraj Ahmed and Section Officer Kaleem Ahmed Shehzad and collected relevant documents, which have already been produced before the court.
After recording of the statement Pervez Musharraf’s counsel wanted to cross-examine Khalid Rasool but Akram Sheikh, leading prosecutor, requested their witness be cross-examined later. He also prayed to adjourn the case after Eid. The court on his request adjourned the hearing till August 5 wherein Khalid Qureshi, head of the Investigation team in Pervez Musharraf’s case, would record the statement and will be cross-examined.
Shahid Khan, secretary interior, who is the complainant in the case, Deputy Secretary Siraj Ahmed, Section Officer Kaleem Ahmed Shahzad of Cabinet Division, Taj Umar Khan, Deputy Solicitor at Ministry of Law and Justice, Khalid Khan, Producer at Pakistan Television and Khalid Rasool Additional Director, member of FIA team have recorded their statement and were also cross-examined.
MAIN ACCUSED IN HAJ CORRUPTION ARRESTED IN S ARABIA, SC TOLD
The attorney general of Pakistan Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that main accused in Haj corruption case, Ahmed Faiz, has been arrested in Saudi Arabia.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja was hearing the case of irregularities in Haj arrangements in 2010-11. Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken suo moto notice of irregularities in Haj arrangements on the complaints of three MNAs, two senators, a letter written by Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz-Al-Saud and applications received by Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday from different pilgrims during performance of Haj.
Granting the federal government to bring back Ahmed Faiz by July 16 the SC directed to identity persons due to them delay was caused in the arrest of Ahmed Faiz so that action could be taken against them.
Attorney General Salman Butt submitted a report on behalf of Federal Investigative Agency that Ahmed was arrested in Saudi Arabia on July 7, 2014. The AGP informed that the government was taking measures to bring him back from Saudi Arabia.
Justice Jawwad questioned why it took four years to arrest him, saying that Saudi Arabia is a friendly country of Pakistan therefore there should be no problem in bringing him back. The judge asked the AGP to inquire from ministry of foreign affairs how many Pakistanis, who didn’t have complete documents, have been deported from Saudi Arabia since March.
The court observed that for the last four years the case has been pending while the FIA had registered FIR against the accused on 12-11-2010. Justice Jawwad asked about the persons who had shown negligence in Ahmed Faiz’s arrest.