ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Saturday claimed before a local court that ex-minister for science and technology

Azam Khan Swati had levelled false allegations against him about corruption in the Haj arrangements 2010.

Mr Kazmi stated this while testifying before Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand during the proceedings on a defamation suit he filed against Mr Swati for levelling the corruption charges against him in the Haj 2010 arrangements.

It may be noted that the Supreme Court in 2010 took suo motu notice of press reports regarding the alleged corruption.

During the proceedings of the case in the apex court, Mr Swati also filed a statement alleging that the then minister for religious affairs was responsible for the corruption.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, the then prime minister, sacked both Kazmi and Swati from their offices in December 2010 following a dispute between the two about the Haj scandal.

Talking to Dawn, Kazmi said that Swati, who at that time was a senator from the JUI-F, was interested in becoming the religious affairs minister and had started the propaganda against him.

“Otherwise there was no clash of interests between us,” he said.

The JUI-F was also an ally of the previous PPP government and besides Swati some other lawmakers of the JUI-F were the members of the then federal cabinet whereas Kazmi was a PPP minister.

The sudden sacking of Swati annoyed the JUI-F leadership and its relations with the PPP remained strained over the issue.

Testifying before the court, Kazmi said the allegations Swati had levelled against him were baseless.

He said he belonged to a respectable family and was never accused of any wrongdoing throughout his decades-old political career.

He said the prosecution could not bring even single evidence to link him with the alleged corruption.

He claimed that during the hearing of the suo motu case in the Haj corruption case, Mr Swati could not produce any evidence on record before the apex court, which also annoyed the bench.

Kazmi had filed the defamation suit against Swati in November 2010 which is still pending in the court.

Further hearing of the matter was adjourned till November 8 when the lawyers of Mr Swati would cross examine the former minister for religious affairs.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2014