The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday rejected Ali Musa Gilani’s plea to replace the officer-in-charge of the investigation in the ephedrine case. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed hearing of the case. Brig Faheem, the chief investigator in ephedrine scam, told the court that two accused have already fled from the country as their names were not included in the exit control list (ECL) in time. He told the court that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is pressurizing them to save Khushnood Lashari. On this, Justice Khilji Arif told Big Faheem to carry on fair investigation into the matter. An employee of Health Ministry, Tanveer Ahmed, told that he was forced to record his statement after he was taken hostage. On this, the CJ asked him to give his written statement. He said the court will issue notices to FIA and the one who recorded the statement. While denying allegations of his involvement in the ephedrine scam, Ali Musa Gilani, the son of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, expressed his lack of trust in ANF DG Brigadier Faheem. In a 12-page written statement submitted to the Supreme Court through his counsel Salman Akram Raja, Ali Musa had requested the court to replace the officer in-charge of the investigation in the case. The court also directed Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Director-General Brigadier Faheem not to involve any one unnecessarily and to let the law take its own course. Brigadier Faheem’s lawyer, Akram Shaikh, presented his arguments in the court stating that the court orders have not been implemented properly and the government only followed the orders regarding the cancellation of transfers. The court went on to direct Brigadier Faheem to complete the inquiry and present the report. Brigadier Faheem further informed the court that a notice was sent to the concerned authorities to provide attendance records from the Prime Minister House, but there has been no response and the records have not been provided. The chief justice stated that if Secretary Narcotics intervened, strict action would be taken. The case regarding the illegal sale of ephedrine was registered on October 10 last year, after two pharmaceutical companies were accused of obtaining export quotas for the drug in collusion with the health ministry officials that exceeded the limits fixed by the INCB. It is pertinent to mention that in the last hearing, the apex court had overruled the orders of Secretary Narcotics Control Division, while ordering Anti Narcotics Force to continue probe into the case that allegedly involves Prime Minister Gilani’s son Ali Musa Gilani. Earlier on Monday, Musa Gilani recorded contradictory statements before the ANF and the Supreme Court. Before the ANF, he reposed confidence in Brig Faheem in ephedrine scam whereas in the SC, he showed total no-trust.