The Zardari-Gilani-led government made every effort to eliminate evidence that could have proven that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son Abdul Qadir Gilani had direct involvement in massive corruption during last Haj arrangements through his frontman Zain Sukhera.

The government has assigned the task to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), where deliberate changes were made by the government to influence the investigation. At every stage the chief justice kept making short orders to bring the path of investigation to the right track.

Though the scam landed former Minister for Haj Hamid Saeed Kazmi in jail, the government kept ducking the law, making reshuffles in top echelons of bureaucracy, including making Establishment Secretary Suhail Ahmad an OSD.

On Friday, the top court declared the government notification, which was issued to dump establishment secretary as an OSD null and void and ordered his reinstatement within seven days.

Pakistan's Attorney General Anwarul Haq had informed the top court that he had not been able to meet the prime minister on Thursday as he was busy with official engagements, which is why he was not able to submit his reply on the secretary establishment being made OSD.

Suhail Ahmad had taken over as secretary establishment earlier this month after Abdul Rauf Chaudhry was relieved of his duties. However, he lasted only 20 days and was made OSD by Gilani.

When a five-member larger bench, headed by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, resumed the hearing of the Haj corruption case, the secretary establishment submitted in writing that it was beyond his jurisdiction to issue the notification of reinstatement of Hussain Ashgar since he is a Grade-21 officer.

The chief justice, however, remarked that the court had already issued the directives, therefore, under Article 190 of the Constitution he is bound to obey the order.

The chief justice asked the attorney general why the court’s orders were not being honored.

Haq also informed the court that Asghar is in the Kachura area of Gilgit-Baltistan and has been stopped by the chief minister from leaving his charge.

The Supreme Court had given the government one more day to obey its directives, including the reinstatement of a top bureaucrat, a written response by the prime minister and bringing back the chief investigator of the Haj corruption scam.