PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has sought comments from former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan about a petition, which alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had links with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and paid money to its chief, Hakeemullah Mehsud, in 2012.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mehfooz also issued notices to the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments seeking their replies to the petition on Oct 20 and adjourned the hearing into the petition of freelance journalist Shahid Orakzai until then.

The court observed that as the petitioner alleged that payment to the TTP was made in KP, it would be appropriate to issue a notice to the provincial government as well about it.

The petitioner has requested the high court to ask the government to take legal action against the PML-N leaders, who allegedly paid money to the TTP chief, and investigate the imprisoned associates of Hakeemullah Mehsud over the matter.

He claimed that former spokesperson for TTP Ehsanullah Ehsan was not only a witness to the political and financial links of those politicians with the TTP but he also had developed differences with the TTP leaders over that money.

Notices also issued to govt over petition about terror outfit funding

Mr Orakzai alleged that former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was fully aware of the 2012 funding in question.

He promised to produce the ‘pictorial evidence’ of the funding in the court during hearing of the case.

The petitioner claimed that the payment of that money had helped influence the 2013 general elections in favour of the PML-N.

He requested the court to decide the petition before any move is made in the National Assembly for the vote of no-confidence against the prime minister.

The respondents in the petition are former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, and the federal government through the law secretary.

The petitioner said though he didn’t know about the exact amount paid to Hakeemullah Mehsud by the PML-N, he would disclose the ‘political motive behind that transaction’ and produce its evidence during the hearing into the petition.

He further said he would name the man, who had taken that money from Lahore to Waziristan, and that the court could seek a sworn affidavit from that person if he denied his role in the matter.

Mr Orakzai said the high court was also empowered to seek the relevant records from any institution functioning under the federal government if it had conducted any investigation into the issue.

He said the petition was not meant to seek action against that political party under Article 17 of the Constitution and instead, it was filed to let the people know about the illegal acts done by politicians.

The petitioner claimed that the man, who had delivered the money to the TTP, was also tasked in 2013 with compiling the lists of the imprisoned TTP militants and its evidence was available in the records of Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2020