Pakistani officials in Saudi Arabia to probe Haj scandal
December 16th, 2010 - 6:18 pm ICT by IANS
By Awais Saleem
Islamabad, Dec 16 (IANS) A team of officials from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) left for Saudi Arabia Thursday to investigate the Haj corruption scandal that led to the sacking of two federal ministers.The team led by FIA deputy director Khalid Rasool will visit Makkah and Madina to find out the exact situation regarding accommodation provided and the rates charged to the Haj pilgrims.
The team will also hold meetings with the concerned people in Saudi Arabia and record their statements, Dunya TV reported.
“It is believed that the authorities are collecting further evidence against former federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi and former secretary of religious affairs Agha Sarwar Raza Qizalbash before formally charging them,” it said.
Hamid Saeed Kazmi and minister for science and technology Azam Khan Swati were sacked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani a couple of days ago after they traded allegations of corruption against each other while the government found sufficient evidence of malpractice in the entire scam.
The allegations say that the authorities concerned received kickbacks in providing inappropriate living facilities to pilgrims at higher rates.
The pilgrims had also complained that transportation was not provided to them at various locations despite being charged for it.
The Supreme Court has already taken suo moto notice of the Haj corruption scandal and the former Haj director general Rao Shakeel has been remanded to police custody.
As many as 160,000 Pakistani pilgrims had gone to Saudi Arabia this year.
- S.Arabia gives Rs 3 crore to Pak to redress Haj pilgrims' grievances - Apr 20, 2011
- Former minister arrested for corruption in Pakistan - Mar 16, 2011
- Arrest all involved in Haj scam: Pakistani apex court - Dec 06, 2010
- FIA freezes foreign currency accounts of Pak's former Religious Affairs Minister - Jan 25, 2011
- Pakistan protests ill-treatment of Haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia - Nov 19, 2010
- Three Indian Haj pilgrims die - Oct 07, 2011
- Corruption over Pakistan Haj pilgrims: Saudi prince - Nov 03, 2010
- Gilani to oust Religious Affairs Minister over defective Haj arrangements - Nov 21, 2010
- Over 23,000 Indians arrive in Saudi Arabia for Haj - Oct 05, 2011
- Haj subsidy to end in 10 years, rules Supreme Court (Roundup) - May 08, 2012
- 13 Indian Haj pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia - Oct 12, 2011
- Gilani most corrupt person in Pakistan's history: Azam Khan Swati - Jan 06, 2011
- Remove Haj subsidy in 10 years, SC tells government (Third Lead) - May 08, 2012
- Muslim clerics, leaders welcome apex court ruling on Haj (Lead) - May 08, 2012
- Pakistani MPs urge government to restore Haj quota - Jun 20, 2009
Tags: azam khan, corruption scandal, deputy director, director general, exact situation, federal investigation, federal minister, federal ministers, haj pilgrims, investigation agency, kickbacks, pakistani officials, rao, religious affairs, saleem, saudi arabia, science and technology, shakeel, swati, yousuf