Asghar Khan Case Hearing Underway (pakistan)


ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) resumed the hearing of a 1996 plea moved by Air Marshal retired Asghar Khan, regarding alleged disbursement of money among the anti-PPP politicians by former Army Chief General Aslam Beg, ex-director general ISI Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani and former Mehran Bank chief Younis Habib to disrupt the general elections.

A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez is hearing the case.

Former ISI chief Asad Durrani and Younus Habib, former chief of Mehran Bank appeared before the court today while Commander Shahbaz represented the Defence Ministery.

The SC on February 29 had issued notices upon former ISI chief, secretary ministry of defence, Advocate on Record Abdul Ghafoor who represented the ministry at that time and Younus Habib for March 8.

The CJ said some of the documents went missing from the record have been retrieved. The bench had directed its Registrar office to made available statements of Aslam Baig, Asad Durrani and Naseerullah Babar former interior minister, which were recorded in chamber at that time.

According to petition moved by Asghar Khan, Asad Durrani in his affidavit, submitted before the apex court during initial hearing by the Supreme Court, the former DG ISI had admitted to have disbursed money to Mian Nawaz Sharif (Rs3.5 million), Lt General Rafaqat who was head of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan's election cell (Rs5.6 million), late Mir Afzal Khan (Rs10 million), late ex-PM Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (Rs5 million), late Jam Sadiq Ali (Rs5 million), late ex-PM Mohammed Khan Junejo (Rs2.5 million), late Pir Pagaro (Rs2 million), ex-Governor Sindh Yusuf Haroon (Rs5 million), Jamaat-e-Islami (Rs5 million), journalists Altaf Hussain Qureshi and Mustafa Sadiq (Rs0.5 million); Arbab Ghulam Aftab (Rs0.3 million); Liaquat Baloch (Rs1.5 million) and others.

However, most of these individuals and political parties have, however,denied receiving any money from the ISI.