Asghar Khan lauds SC verdict

Published October 19, 2012

Supreme Court of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan. — Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan on Friday lauded the Supreme Court’s verdict on his petition and said that the government should initiate criminal proceedings against those involved in the Mehran Bank scandal, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representatives outside the Supreme Court, Khan said whoever had committed a crime — be it a civilian or a man in uniform — should be punished.

He added that it was for the first time in the country's history, that a ruling had come against retired military officials.

On the occasion, Khan's counsel, Salman Akram Raja, said that it was not possible for the government to not act on the court's verdict.

Responding to a question, Raja said the Constitution's Article 6 could be used to proceed against former army chief Gen (retd) Mirza Aslam Beg and ISI’s former director general Lt-Gen (retd) Asad Durrani.

The counsel moreover said that the court had clarified that no one could hide behind an unconstitutional order.

Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court, in a short order, ruled that Asghar Khan’s petition was admissible for regular hearing and ordered the government to take legal action against Beg, Durrani and Younus Habib, who headed the now defunct Mehran Bank.

Opinion

Editorial

Depopulating Gaza
Updated 07 Feb, 2025

Depopulating Gaza

The least feasible "solution" is the Trumpian plan for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing and occupation, which is a non-starter.
‘Pause’ in US aid
07 Feb, 2025

‘Pause’ in US aid

THE impact of the Trump administration’s decision to ‘pause’ all US foreign aid programmes, especially those...
Mobilising opposition
07 Feb, 2025

Mobilising opposition

POLITICS makes strange bedfellows. There has not, for quite some time, been a guest list as intriguing as the one...
No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...