SC orders FIA to arrest, produce Khurram on January 27

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to immediately arrest Khurram Rasool, former media coordinator of PTV, and produce him on January 27.

The three-Judge bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez, in its order also warned Director General FIA Tahseen Anwar Shah to comply with its directive, otherwise, failure would have serious legal consequences.

The bench was hearing an application moved by Parvez Hussain, a businessman of Afghan carpets, accusing Khurram Rasool of defrauding him of Rs 430 million.

FIA Additional Director General Sajjad Ahmed apprised the bench that they had received statement of Khushnood Lashari Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Waseem Ahmed and Malik Iqbal, former Director Generals of FIA, in which they had denied the allegations of influencing the investigation of case.

He said statement of petitioner was being recorded by Imran, Magistrate First Class Industrial under section 164 of CrPc, as directed by the Court.

The bench directed him to also record statement of Nargis Sethi, former Principal Secretary to PM, who had lodged a complaint against Khurram.

The Chief Justice told FIA officials that instead of solving the matter, they had gone to the extent that they involved everyone from top to bottom.

Expressing his dissatisfaction with FIA investigation process, he observed that if they had arrested Khurram in time, the matter would not have reached to such a level.

He also questioned the status of the petitioner and objected to his use of language in the letters, he had sent to higher authorities.

"Orders of the Court are being flouted in this manner. The DG FIA has been dodging the Court," he observed.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012