Wajid Zia explains how his cousin’s UK law firm was engaged by JIT

ISLAMABAD: Wajid Zia, head of JIT and additional director general FIA, Friday admitted that the British law firm engaged for the JIT’s probe is owned by his cousin but explained that it was done after discussions among Team members, in line with apex court’s order and following a clean chit from intelligence agencies.

When approached by this correspondent, Wajid Zia added that the firm, engaged on the basis of its professional standing and repute, was hired at lower rates after his personal request for reduction in fee demanded.

Wajid Zia, who enjoys good reputation and is known for impeccable integrity amongst the members of bureaucracy, when asked about media reports on the issue admitted, “Yes, I have a relationship with Akhtar Raja, who is my first cousin and owner of a British law firm called Quist Solicitors.”

Sharing the background of how the law firm was engaged, Wajid Zia explained that realizing that the JIT has limited time available to achieve difficult task it was decided to seek from the apex court exemption from normal government procedures and codal formalities which would have been time consuming.

Under the normal government procedures, hiring foreign or local experts would require a long process that includes inviting applications through advertisement, shortlisting of parties meeting criteria and then approval of the competent authorities. 

“Apart from slow and time consuming procedures, in ordinary circumstances each and every move of the JIT would have been known and therefore the element of surprise and secrecy, which is part and parcel of successful investigation strategy, would have been lost and the investigation itself would have been compromised,” he said.

Under these considerations, he said, the JIT had requested the honorable judges of the implementation bench to exempt the JIT from the codal formalities. Subsequently, the court vide its order dated 11-5-2017 allowed the head of the JIT to be deemed as principal accounting officer. Additionally, he added, being the head of the JIT he was further given the necessary powers to deal with emergent situations in term of PPRA Act and the rules framed thereunder.

Regarding the hiring of British firm, he said that theJIT required the assistance of legal expert firm in the UK to assist in legal matters and render expert advice. On this issue, he said, discussions between the members of the JIT took place as how to select a suitable firm which should not only be reputed in its field but could also be relied upon to keep confidentiality.

Wajid Zia said that during these discussions, he had proposed that his cousin Akhtar Raja being a competent and known British solicitor might be considered. “I had from the very beginning disclosed before the JIT that Akhtar Raja was a close relative -- first cousin -- and I asked the members especially from the intelligence agencies to get his (Akhtar’s) security clearance and also check his repute as far as his legal standing is concerned.”

After getting his fees demand, Wajid disclosed that he initially asked the JIT members, belonging to intelligence agencies, to verify rates that Akhtar had quoted. After all due verifications and positive report from the intelligence agencies, he said, “I requested Mr Akhtar to reduce his fee and he agreed to do it by about 35%.”

Keeping in view the urgency of the situation, he said that the whole process was completed in a couple of days time. Regarding the law firm’s performance, he said that not only it gave us legal advice but also helped us in getting expert opinion of forensic expert Robert W Radley.