ISLAMABAD – The Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar remarked that nodelay will be observed in the hearing of review petitions filed against theverdict of Asghar Khan Case.
The apex court took up the review petitions on Monday as Salman Akram Raja,the counsel for former air chief, Asghar Khan, appeared before athree-member bench headed by the top judge.
The Chief Justice asked Raja to brief the bench over the case, followingwhich the top judge summoned Mirza Aslam Baig, the former army chief, onthe rostrum.
Upon this, Mirza replied that he got to know of the proceedings a dayearlier and was thus unable to prepare for the case, pleading that the caseshould be adjourned.General (r) Mirza Aslam Beg
However, the Chief Justice observed that the matter will not be adjourned.
Afterwards, the counsel for the former ISI chief, Gen Asad Durranirequested the court to delay the hearing for later today.
Chief Justice Nisar then adjourned the hearing till 2:30 pm today.
Filed by former air chief, Asghar Khan, the case in question is one of themost talked about cases in the judicial history of Pakistan. It also givesa glimpse about the civil-military relations and the role played by themilitary establishment in the political domain.
Air Marshal Asghar Khan, in his petition filed in 1996, claimed that twosenior army officers and then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khandoled out Rs 140million among few individuals to thwart the bid of Pakistan People’s Party,secure victory in the 1990 elections.Asghar Khan
The petition was filed when Justice Nasim Hassan Shah was the ChiefJustice, however, the verdict came after a span of 16 years on October 19,2012 when the apex court issued a 141-page verdict, ordering legalproceedings against Gen (retd) Beg and Lt Gen (retd) Durrani, however,nothing substantial was done in this regard.
The 2012 apex court judgment, authored by the then-Chief Justice ofPakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, had directed the Federal Investigation Agencyto initiate a transparent investigation and subsequent trial if sufficientevidence is found against the former army officers.