PHC suspends FIA’s pleas to blacklist Amir Muqam & Company

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday suspended Federal Investigation Agency’s recommendations to the National Highway Authority (NHA) for declaring M/S Amir Muqam and Company (AMC) blacklist and stop outstanding dues to the company. A division bench comprising Justice Roohul Amin Khan and Justice Naeem Anwar stopped the NHA from actions against the construction company of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Amir Muqam till the next order of the court. The petition was filed by Ishtiaq Ahmad, son of Amir Muqam, in which he challenged the FIA letter to NHA for actions against the company. The bench also issued a notice to respondents, including the FIA and NHA, directing to submit written comments in the petition before September 4, the date of next hearing in the case. During arguments, Barrister Syed Mudassir Ameer, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the FIA had issued a letter to NHA on May 14 seeking actions against the company through recommendations to not only declare the company blacklist and also stopped the outstanding dues to the company and seized its guarantees.

The lawyer contended that the FIA had registered FIR against the petitioner and others, in which they were on bail. He argued that under the law, the FIA had to produce evidence in the court and prosecute the suspects involved in the case instead of issuing unlawful and illegal recommendations to the NHA for actions against the company. The lawyer prayed before the court to suspend the illegal and unlawful letter issued by the FIA against the petitioner company and seek a reply from the respondents for their illegal actions. The FIA had lodged an FIR against the petitioner for alleged corruption in the construction of the Alpuri-Bisham Road in Shangla district. However, the petitioner and others including Mohammad Ashfaq, former project director, Mohammad Ayaz, resident engineer, Associated Consulting Engineers (ACE), Mohammad Arshad, resident engineer ACE, and Mohammad Ali, attorney holder at Mohammad Irshad and Company were on bail in the case. The FIA’s anti-corruption wing had charged them with causing loss to the government kitty during the construction of Alpuri-Bisham Road in Shangla.