ISLAMABAD: Officials of Pakistan’s main anti-corruption body today joined country-wide protests over the mysterious death of a top investigator probing graft charges against Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf, even as government formed a judicial commission to probe the alleged suicide.
In many cities, officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) joined a strike and demanded a transparent inquiry into the death of Kamran Faisal, who was found hanging from a fan in his room in the Federal Lodges, a government hostel, on Friday.
Officials in the NAB headquarters met the head of the agency Fasih Bokhari, and presented their demands, including an inquiry into Faisal’s death and better security for investigation officers.
They said authorities should ensure that investigators could work without facing any pressure.
In Lahore, NAB officers wore black bands as a mark of protest.
They said evidence regarding Faisal’s death and allegations by his relatives that his body had marks of injuries should not be overlooked in an inquiry.
NAB officials in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces too joined the protests.
The government yesterday formed a judicial commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Javed Iqbal to investigate the death of Faisal, an Assistant Director of NAB.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Iqbal had been authorized to select two officers from the police force or investigation agencies to assist him in the inquiry.
Iqbal had earlier headed another judicial panel that investigated Osama bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan and the May, 2011, US raid that killed the al-Qaeda chief.
The commission was given two weeks to complete its investigation and submit its report on Faisal’s death.
Allegations by Faisal’s relatives that his body bore several injuries have given rise to speculation that he may have been murdered due to his role in the probe against the premier. A NAB spokesman today said no one in the organization had spoken to Faisal to change his report on the investigation against the premier.
He said NAB Chairman Fasih Bokhari had agreed to remove Faisal from the case on January 7.
Though a preliminary autopsy report concluded Faisal had committed suicide, his father and other relatives have cast doubt on the findings and said his body bore several injuries.
Faisal was one of two investigation officers probing allegations of graft in “rental power projects” that were cleared when Raja Pervez Ashraf was the Power Minister.
The Supreme Court had directed NAB in March last year to take action against Ashraf and over 20 other suspects.
Last week, the apex court directed NAB to arrest Ashraf and the other suspects.
NAB chief Fasih Bokhari told the court that he lacked evidence to make arrests.
Faisal and the other investigation officer were recently suspended after they submitted a report on their probe to superiors.
Media reports said Faisal had been “under pressure” and had written to his superior last November, asking to be taken off the investigation into the power projects. -PTI
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
