Asghar Khan case: SC seeks reply from FIA, issues notice to Secretary Defence
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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court, issued notice to Secretary Defence, seeking progress report in Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan case.
A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, also sought reply from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on the matter.
The Chief Justice remarked that the court is not satisfied with the FIA reply that suggested the bench for closure of the 1990s case.
Justice Nisar said that court will not let Asghar Khan's efforts go to waste adding that the Asghar Khan family was not taken into confidence over the suggestion that the case be closed.
If the FIA lacked the authority, it could have gotten the investigation done by another institution," he added.
Justice Nisar, questioned how the court could just dismiss its decision. "We will get further investigation done," he asserted, adding that Salman Akram Raja would assist the court.
"How can this case proceed?" he asked. "A verdict has already been announced, but look what's happening now, when it is time for implementation."
"That should not happen," Raja said. "A man has said 'I have distributed the money'," he pointed out.
In 1996, Asghar Khan had filed a human rights petition in the SC, accusing doling out money to a group of politicians in the 1990s.
The case was initiated by Asghar Khan after Benazir Bhutto's interior minister, Naseerullah Babar, had claimed in the National Assembly in 1994 that fund were disbursed to "purchase" the loyalty of politicians and public figures so as to manipulate the 1990 elections.
Sixteen years after the petition was filed, the SC in its judgement — penned by then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry — ruled that the 1990 general elections had been polluted by dishing out Rs140m to a particular group of politicians only to deprive the people of being represented by their chosen representatives.
According to the FIA report, 18 politicians in their statements submitted in the SC denied receiving the funds to allegedly manipulate the 1990 polls.
APP
