FIA recommends closure of Asghar Khan implementation case due to want of evidence
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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has recommended to the Supreme Court to close the Asghar Khan verdict implementation case citing its inability to gather evidence required to launch criminal proceedings, it emerged on Saturday.
The FIA, in its report submitted in the apex court, states that the case is more than 25 years old and therefore relevant banks do not have the details of deposits made at the time.
The report further says that the statements of important witnesses in the case contradict each other, whereas the accused politicians have denied receiving any payments.
Subsequently, the agency said that it does not have enough evidence to restart criminal proceedings, suggesting that the case's file be closed.
The apex court is scheduled to hear the case on Monday.
Asghar Khan case
In 1996, Air Marshal Khan had filed a human rights petition in the SC of Pakistan, accusing the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of doling out money to a group of politicians in the 1990s.
The case was initiated by the air marshal after Benazir Bhutto's interior minister, retired general Naseerullah Babar, had disclosed in the National Assembly in 1994 how the ISI had disbursed funds to purchase the loyalty of politicians and public figures so as to manipulate the 1990 elections, form the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), and bring about the defeat of the PPP.
16 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 Rs140 million to a particular group of politicians only to deprive the people of being represented by their chosen representatives.
The court had, however, thrown the ball back to the then PPP government by directing it to take necessary action under the Constitution and law against former army chief Beg and former director general of ISI Durrani for their role in facilitating the group of politicians and political parties to ensure their success against their rivals in the 1990 elections.
In May 2017, PTI had announced its decision to file in the Supreme Court a petition seeking implementation of the orders of the already decided case.
