Karachi court summons FIA official on application against NAB chief, Mufti Qavi and Zubair

Published October 23, 2021
A combination photo of National Accountability Bureau Chairperson Javed Iqbal (L), former Sindh governor and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair (C) and cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi (R). — DawnNewsTV/File
A combination photo of National Accountability Bureau Chairperson Javed Iqbal (L), former Sindh governor and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair (C) and cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi (R). — DawnNewsTV/File

A sessions court in Karachi issued a show-cause notice to the deputy director of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Cell on Saturday over his inaction on a court order concerning an application seeking the registration of cases against National Accountability Bureau Chairperson Javed Iqbal, former Sindh governor and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair and cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi for "immoral" behaviour.

At the last hearing on October 15, the court had directed the FIA official to submit a detailed report and comments under section 22-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the application moved by a citizen, Danish Shahbaz.

On Saturday, Additional Sessions Judge Kazi Shah Muhammad Azhar, who issued the notice and summoned the deputy director in his personal capacity, noted that SHO Inspector Imran Ahmed Khan had appeared before the court on behalf of the FIA official at the previous hearing and sought more time to submit the report and comments.

As requested, the court had granted more time for the submission, the judge recalled.

However, when the matter was taken up today, the deputy director still did not appear before the court and neither did he submit the report and comments.

Consequently, the court summoned him in his personal capacity on October 26, seeking an explanation as to why proceedings should not been initiated against him under sections 174 (non-attendance in obedience to an order from a public servant) and 175 (omission to produce a document to a public servant by a person legally bound to produce it) of the Pakistan Penal Code over non-compliance of the court order.

The court's initial order to the FIA official came after an application by a citizen, Danish Shahbaz, asking the police to register cases against NAB chief Javed Iqbal, PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair and cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi since footage shared on social media in recent times had implicated all three of immoral behaviour.

The application requested that following an investigation, all three men be booked under section 496-B (fornication) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Zina Ordinance.

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