ISLAMABAD: Sessions Judge Muhammad Aslam Gondal on Monday extended the five-day physical remand of former federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi in the Hajj corruption scandal and handed him over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The FIA had arrested Kazmi on March 15 from the courtroom when Special Judge (Central) Sohail Nasir had rejected his bail. On Monday, the FIA produced Kazmi in the court and informed the judge that up till now it had been proved that the minister was the main accused in the scandal and he had instructed former Hajj director general, Rao Shakeel Ahmed, to hire costly buildings for pilgrims.
Wajid Gillani, counsel for Kazmi, told the court that his client was willing to cooperate with the FIA and the allegations against him were baseless. Gillani also filed two applications in the court, out of which one had been approved and the other was disposed off.
In the first application he said Kazmi had a backbone problem and requested the court to allow a medical check up of the minister as soon as possible. In the second application, Gillani requested that Kazmi be allowed to visit President Asif Ali Zardari�s father in the PIMS but the court rejected this request.
Talking to media, Kazmi said that the FIA had failed to produce any evidence against him and he was willing to fully cooperate with the agency now and would also do so in the future. He said the FIA along with some elements was deliberately trying to involve him in the scandal.
Separately on Monday, during the hearing of Kazmi�s case more than a 100 people protested in his favour and said that all cases against the minister were false.
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