Former FIA official accused of corruption

  Accused terms charges baseless

Islamabad

Despite serious efforts of Interior Ministry for cleaning FIA from corrupt elements another corruption case of its officers including a former head of the anti-corruption circle has surfaced.

"Gulfam Nasir Warriach, a former deputy director of FIA's Anti-Corruption Circle, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and his cronies took away my Rs 4.619 million," claimed an Islamabad-based citizen Ghulam Sarwar Gondal in his application number 1181/16 IM 11.3.2016 to Federal Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan.

On the other hand Gulfam denies the charges levelled against him saying, “This is true that Gondal was known to me for quite long but when a case came against him I did investigations according to the merit and I have nothing to do with receiving money,” he told The News.

Gondal was arrested following a case registered in FIA on December 26, 2014. In the case FIA blamed Gondal for playing role of a frontman in giving land compensation cheques to the locals of Moza Noon of Islamabad in connivance with officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA).  The case against him is still pending before the special central judge of Islamabad. After two months and ten days detention, Gondal got bail and started attempts to get his money back which his brothers reportedly gave to the FIA officials.

In October 2015 on the directions of the interior minister, Gulfam was removed from the FIA on charges of corruption according to the statement issued by the spokesman of the Interior Ministry at that time. Despite having a questionable record Gulfam not only got induction in Police Service of Pakistan group but is currently serving in Gilgit-Baltistan as Senior Superintendent of Police.

Gondal in his application, a copy of which is available with this correspondent, claims that Gulfam while using his position as head of Anti-Corruption Circle of FIA falsely dragged him into a fake case.

Gondal says that he was a small time property dealer in Islamabad and the said officer was his friend as both of them used to hail from the same area in Punjab. 

He says Gulfam developed differences with him on an issue of the sale of his multimillion plot located in Iqbal Town. Gulfam, he said, wanted his plot to be exchanged with a commercial property and I failed to make the deal as it was not a profitable deal for the second party. 

Gondal says in year 2014 Gulfam assumed the charge of deputy director of FIA's Anti-Corruption Circle and that was the time when his troubles started. He said that first Gulfam falsely dragged him in a CDA corruption case.

"FIA men arrested me from the district Katchehry, Islamabad, when I was in the mid of another deal. I was taken into custody without being informed of the charges and without due process of law. While I was there for a property deal, I had an amount of Rs1.22 million in my car which was recovered by the raid party led by FIA's sub inspector Naeem Niazi. Todate there is no clue to my money. I was taken to FIA police station Iqbal Town, Islamabad. Later my 15 days remand in different times was taken. During the remand I was taken to Gulfam's office where he ordered tea with biscuits and directed others to leave the room. When others left he directly demanded Rs20 million. I refused as I did not have the money. Later Inspector Irfan Azeem Burni, who is still serving as Sub House Officer (SHO) of Anti-Corruption Circle of FIA, demanded Rs10 million. I was sent to jail but Gulfam started harassing my family and my brothers. My brothers bowed down before him and paid him Rs3 million through Mumtaz Bosal, an Islamabad police Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI). Bosal is a long time frontman of Warraich. Later FIA inspector Burni received Rs .6 million directly from me for de-freezing my bank accounts.” Burni denies this allegation saying that he had arrested Ghulam Sarwar on a solid case. Burni added, “Gondal was an accused who has started circulating baseless allegations against him.” 

Gondal says that he approached the FIA for justice. Instead of giving justice some officers harassed him but he is determined to get justice. He appealed to Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Federal Minister for Interior, to personally look into this matter and ensure punishment to the culprits and return of his hard earned money.