ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday resumed the hearing in the case involving alleged disbursement of millions among anti-PPP politicians by the political cell of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) before the 1990 general election.

A bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain was hearing the 1996 petition of Tehriq-i-Istiqlal’s chief Asghar Khan regarding allegations of the ISI’s financing of politicians to prevent the victory of the Pakistan People’s Party.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar said that all found involved in the payout would be held accountable.

Moreover, the defence ministry failed to produce the notification about the setting up of the ISI’s political cell.

The chief justice inquired of Attorney General Irfan Qadir as to why the political cell's notification had not been produced before the bench.

The attorney general said that the notification, which was issued 39 years ago, had not yet been found.

The chief justice said the notification should be in the Gazette of Pakistan, adding that being the country's chief law officer, Qadir should assist the court in this regard.

The chief justice moreover inquired the attorney general over the response of the defence ministry over the notification.

Commander Shahbaz, representing the ministry, said that it did not have a copy of the notification.

Moreover, Asad Durrani, the-then director-general of the ISI, said that a friend of his had shown him the notification's copy.

During the previous hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar had vowed to take the case to its “logical conclusion” and had asked Commander Shahbaz to furnish a copy of the missing notification.

Moreover, Asad Durrani, the-then director-general of the ISI, said that a friend of his had shown him the notification's copy. Also during the previous hearing (held on June 22), Durrani had told the court that of Rs140 million more than Rs60 million was disbursed by the ISI among various politicians and the rest of the amount was deposited in a special account.

Durrani had also said that the first order for disbursement was given by the then-army chief, Gen (retd) Mirza Aslam Beg, and the subsequent ones came from the election team of then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan that included Ijlal Haider Zaidi and Roedad Khan.