LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Saturday issued notices to ex-army chief Gen Aslam Beg and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Lt Gen Asad Durrani for their involvement in influencing the results of the 1990 general elections and 19 others including former premier Nawaz Sharif and senior politicians Javed Hashmi, Abida Hussain and Ghulam Mustafa Khar.

While taking up the matter related to the implementation of the landmark judgement in the Asghar Khan case, a division bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar also issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Appearing before the bench, Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf submitted a federal cabinet report on the decision to implement the Asghar Khan case judgement, but he had no specific answer when the SC asked him about any mechanism devised for the recovery of the millions of rupees paid by the ex-army officials to the politicians and others.

CJP shows dismay over unnecessary police security given to politicians, their children

The late Air Marshal Asghar Khan had filed a petition in the court some 16 years ago seeking action against the two generals and then president late Ghulam Ishaq Khan accusing them of distributing Rs140 million among several politicians to ensure defeat of Benazir Bhutto in the 1990 general elections.

In its October 2012 verdict, the SC had asked the federal government to initiate legal proceedings against the former generals and others involved in the case.

Gen Beg and Lt Gen Durrani recently appeared before a probe committee of the FIA, while several politicians rejected the allegation levelled against them.

Later on the request of the attorney general, CJP Nisar directed the court staff to keep the cabinet’s report sealed, citing that the report was confidential. The SC bench then adjourned the Asghar Khan case hearing till June 6.

Security and luxury cars

Hearing another case, CJP Nisar expressed dismay over unnecessary security given to politicians and their children, and directed the Punjab chief secretary to recover by Saturday evening the luxury cars being used by officials of the government and public sector companies beyond their entitlement.

The CJP observed that security given to former premier Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, ex-National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq, former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal and former law minister Zahid Hamid could be justified to some extent. But he questioned the provision of security to Rana Sanaullah Khan, Mariyum Aurangzeb, Anusha Rehman, Abid Sher Ali and Ahsan Iqbal’s son.

Heading the two-judge bench of the SC’s Lahore registry, CJP Nisar observed that on the one hand they abused the judiciary while on the other they sought security. “You provided security to those who have been abusing the judiciary,” the chief justice asked Punjab IGP Arif Nawaz.

He said the apex court would not let public money be robbed this way. “If these people cannot afford their security from their own pocket, they should seek financial help from Baitul Mal,” he remarked.

CJP Nisar told the IGP that he knew that police had refused to provide security to other judges while they had given him the security equal to what had been provided to the son of Shahbaz Sharif.

Earlier, the chief justice expressed dissatisfaction over reports filed by the law officers of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments. The reports showed that 4,000 individuals had been provided security in Sindh, 1,400 in Balochistan and 701 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

As the matter related to luxury cars was taken up, a law officer told the apex court the former premier had approved the purchase of luxury cars for some cabinet members. He argued that the 1980 rules empowered him to allocate cars to ministers and officials beyond their entitlement.

The CJP then reminded the law officer that it was not the former PM but his principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad who must have approved the purchase.

When Punjab chief secretary Zahid Saeed told the court that luxury cars had been taken back from ministers and officials of the dissolved government, the chief justice directed him to recover all the remaining cars by the evening and update the SC registrar about it.

The CJP observed that the cars should be handed over to the caretaker government, as the court would not let those luxury cars fall into ruin.

The chief justice also summoned Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Tariq Pasha along with a record of smuggled cars. He said he knew that many officials in the FBR, excise, customs and taxation departments used smuggled cars.

The hearing of the luxury cars case will be resumed on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2018