Politics in 1990s: Apex court to resume political funding case

Petition says ISI distributed millions amongst PPP rivals.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court will resume its hearing on a case regarding the distribution of millions of rupees among politicians by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency after nearly 15 years.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will hear the case titled ‘Air Marshal (retd) Muhammad Asghar Khan Vs Gen (retd) Mirza Aslam Baig, etc.’ The court will hear Asghar Khan’s plea on February 29, regarding ISI’s alleged fund distribution campaign during the 1990 elections. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervez are other members of the bench.

Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan filed a petition in 1996 after former interior minister Naseerullah Babar gave a statement in Parliament that ISI helped distribute Rs140 million among the political opponents of Pakistan People Party during the 1990 general elections. Proceedings on the case started in 1996 when Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

According to the Supreme Court’s list, Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, Habib-ul-Wahab-ul-Khairi, Salman Akram Raja and Muhammad Akram Shaikh will appear before the court. Reportedly, Advocate Akram Sheikh has refused to defend former army chief Gen Aslam Beg Mirza in the case this time.

According to Beg, in a reply submitted to the Supreme Court recently, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan had set up an election cell in the presidency under the supervision of Roidad Khan and Ajlal Haider during the 1990 elections.

ISI, on the instructions of the election cell, gave away Rs140 million to the opponents of PPP. It is common for ISI to extend help to their ‘favourite’ politicians and its approval is granted by the chief executive of the government, Beg’s reply stated.

However, former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani in his affidavit said “The money was distributed among the politicians on the directives of General (retd) Aslam Beg (Chief of Army Staff at the time).”

According to Asad Durrani, Nawaz Sharif got Rs3.5 million, Mir Afzal Khan Rs10 million, Lt Gen Rafaqat got Rs5.6 million for distribution among journalists, Abida Hussain Rs1 million, Jamaat-e-Islami Rs5 million, Altaf Hussain Qureshi Rs500,000, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Rs5 million (Sindh), Jam Sadiq Rs5 million (Sindh), Muhammad Khan Junejo Rs250,000 (Sindh), Pir Pagara Rs2 million (Sindh), Maulana Salahuddin Rs300,000 (Sindh), different small groups in Sindh Rs5.4 million and Humayun Marri Rs1.5 million (Balochistan).

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2012.