CJP infuriated over non compliance in Asghar Khan case

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar expressed his anger over the non implementation of apex court’s orders passed in Asghar Khan case.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar took up the Asghar Khan case and observed that the top court facilitated the case by all means, yet its orders were not put into action.

“Public should also be taken into confidence over the matter”, as high profile personalities as well as prominent institutions are nominated in the case, the court observed.

“One thing is crystal clear that no one is superior to law,” the bench remarked.

The apex court also permitted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to give an in-camera briefing in Asghar Khan case, on the request of DG FIA Bashir Memon.

“There are some facts pertaining to the case which we want to apprise the court on separately,” Memon pleaded the court.

Case Background:

Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan wrote a letter to the then chief justice of Pakistan Nasim Hassan Shah in 1996, in which he alleged that the then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, then army chief General Mirza Aslam Beg, then ISI director general Lt Gen Asad Durrani as well as then owner of now defunct Mehran Bank Younis Habib had distributed Rs 140 million among several politicians to manipulate the 1990 polls to defeat Benazir Bhutto.

After the passage of more than a decade following the matter having brought to the apex court, it gave a 141-page landmark verdict on October 19, 2012 declaring that 1990 elections were rigged.

It ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the matter and if evidence was found against anyone, action should be taken against them.

The court held that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the 1990 election was rigged and that a political cell maintained by the then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan at Presidency supported formation of the IJI to stop a victory of the PPP.

It found Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Baig and Durrani guilty of violating the constitution.