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Pakistan top court to probe corruption official Kamran Faisal's death Pakistan top court to probe corruption official Kamran Faisal's death
(about 4 hours later)
The Pakistani Supreme Court has set up its own inquiry into the death of an official who was investigating corruption allegations against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.The Pakistani Supreme Court has set up its own inquiry into the death of an official who was investigating corruption allegations against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.
The probe will run in parallel to an inquiry ordered by the interior ministry on Sunday. The chief justice said there were concerns an inquiry ordered by the government would not be free and fair.
Kamran Faisal was found hanged on Friday in the government hostel in Islamabad where he lived. The official, Kamran Faisal, was found hanged on Friday in the government hostel in Islamabad where he lived.
Police say he may have taken his own life, but his family allege foul play.Police say he may have taken his own life, but his family allege foul play.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that the court's move is likely to be welcomed by Mr Faisal's family and by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials, many of whom have been on strike as part of their campaign to demand a separate inquiry into what they see as his mysterious death. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the court's move is likely to be welcomed by Mr Faisal's family and by colleagues at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) where he worked.
NAB officials say that he asked to be removed from the NAB investigation into Mr Ashraf's dealings shortly before he died. Many NAB officials have been on strike as part of a campaign to demand a separate inquiry into what they see as his mysterious death.
Police said on Friday that they were investigating all possibilities, including murder. An interim post-mortem suggested he took his own life, officials say.
Some police investigators say that he may have been on anti-depressants at the time of his suicide.
'Kickbacks''Kickbacks'
The Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Mr Ashraf last week over allegations that he accepted bribes when approving power generation projects as minister for water and power in 2010. Speaking in court, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry described Mr Faisal's death as "shocking".
He denies the allegations. "His family members, colleagues, friends and the public at large have shown annoyance and grievances," Justice Chaudhry said.
On Wednesday the Supreme Court announced that it was setting up its own inquiry because the family of the dead official, his colleagues and the public at large were not confident that the government's probe would be free and fair. "And according to them, they are not expecting a free, fair and honest investigation because of the involvement of highly influential political and executive authorities."
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry described Mr Faisal's death in court as "shocking". Two Supreme Court judges will hold their first hearing into Mr Faisal's death on Thursday. Their investigation will operate in parallel to the judicial inquiry ordered by the interior ministry on Sunday.
The Supreme Court bench will hold its first hearing into the case on Thursday. Some police investigators say Mr Faisal may have been on anti-depressants at the time he died, which might support claims he took his life. But his family say his body bore marks of torture, suggesting he was murdered.
Mr Faisal was part of a NAB investigation into alleged kickbacks received from power generation firms by 16 government officials, including Mr Ashraf, who was minister of water and power in 2010. Mr Faisal had been helping lead the investigation into alleged bribes paid by power firms when Mr Ashraf was minister for water and power in 2010. The prime minister denies wrongdoing.
The court ordered the arrest of the 16 on the basis of a NAB report submitted by Mr Faisal and his boss, Asghar Ali. Last week, the Supreme Court ordered his arrest along with 15 officials also accused in the so-called Rental Power Projects case.
The NAB has suspended its probe into the corruption allegations pending the outcome of the inquiries - last week NAB's overall head Fasih Bokhari refused to arrest the prime minister, saying there was not enough evidence to justify it. But the prime minister appears unlikely to be detained soon - the head of the NAB has said there is not enough evidence to justify such a move.
On Friday, one of the dead man's associates told the BBC that Mr Faisal had been under considerable stress in the weeks prior to his death. The bureau has suspended its investigation into the case, pending the outcome of the inquiries into the death of Mr Faisal.
Mr Faisal played a major role in the Ashraf case until he and another officer were taken off it earlier this month by senior NAB officials, the man told the BBC.