Nawaz, others issued notices in Asghar Khan case

LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday issued notices to 21 individuals, including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, named in the Asghar Khan case for allegedly receiving a huge amount to stop the Pakistan Peoples Party from winning the 1990 polls. 

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who headed a bench of the apex court, took up the Asghar Khan case at the Lahore registry.

Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf presented a sealed report on the federal cabinet’s decision about implementation of the Asghar Khan case verdict, informing that it decided to implement the ruling and issued directives to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to carry with its probe into the case.

At this the chief justice asked what course of action has been worked out to make the beneficiaries to return the amount they had received back in 1990.

While issuing notices to 21 individuals, including Nawaz Sharif and Javed Hashmi, the bench ordered its staff to seal the report.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till June 06.

A day earlier, the top judge expressed displeasure over absence of the AG and the federal cabinet, saying the latter didn’t take any action in relation to the case.

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.