ISLAMABAD: The apex court on Tuesday referred former federal minister for science and technology Azam Swati’s case to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and police for further probe in view of the amicus’ recommendations.After these departments submit reports, the bench will examine his qualification on the basis of their findings.Faisal Siddiqi, who has been appointed amicus by the Supreme Court, opposed Azam’s disqualification in a written reply. He wrote that there is no legal precedent for disqualifying Swati in his submission before the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar.Swati’s counsel Ali Zafar requested the court dispose of the case to ensure a fair trial under Article 10A. Chief Justice Nisar, however, declined and said Swati belongs to the ruling party and thus the report should be submitted to ensure fairness.Swati resigned on December 3 because of his suo motu case in the Supreme Court pertaining to the ‘illegal’ transfer of former Islamabad inspector general Jan Muhammad.“To uphold my moral authority, I have sent my resignation to the prime minister,” he said, adding that he cannot work under such conditions.The minister said that PM Imran had also agreed with him on the decision. “I will defend my case now without any authority or portfolio,” he said.Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the culture of self-accountability introduced by Prime Minister Imran Khan was prevalent only in advanced democratic countries.In a tweet over the tendering of resignation by Swati, he said, these democratic traditions are the face of Naya Pakistan.He added that Sawti was the second minister who tendered resignation over routine investigations while in the past even convicted persons remained glued to their posts. The transfer of the IG took place after Swati’s son registered a case against a family belonging to slums for allegedly trespassing his family’s land. The family was released after a day’s detention.The police said a settlement had been reached between Swati and the detained family.
The argument with the family, coupled with the IG’s transfer had caught the attention of the media and the Supreme Court. NNI