ISLAMABAD: The government has restored the pension of the former director general of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) retired Lt Gen Asad Durrani, he told the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday.

However, Mr Durrani also asked the court to seek an explanation from the government as to why his pension was suspended.

Justice Shahid Jamil resumed hearing on the petition filed by Mr Durrani against the suspension of his pension.

Mr Durrani is facing the wrath of military authorities after co-authoring a book, The Spy Chronicles, with Amarjit Singh Dulat, the former head of the Indian intelligence agency known as the Research and Analysis Wing.

Last February, a military spokesperson had announced that Mr Durrani had been found guilty of violating the military’s code of conduct and a court of inquiry was ordered against him for writing the book. A military court subsequently stripped him of his pension and other post-retirement benefits.

Mr Durrani then challenged that order before the LHC.

On Thursday, the court asked Deputy Attorney General Raja Abid why Mr Durrani’s pension was halted. Mr Abid said that Mr Durrani’s pension was restored in March, and sought time from the court to submit a response.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2020