The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday ordered the government to take action against former Army Chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg and Inter-Services Intelligence ex-head Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani for rigging the 1990 elections to stop Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party from winning.
The court’s order also made it clear that secret agencies have no role in the election process and that the miltiary cannot participate in politics or destabilise a democratic government
“The top court has asked the federal government to investigate the distribution of money among politicians during the 1990 general elections. The court said action should be taken against Mirza Aslam Beg and Asad Durrani,” a court official said, citing the short order issued after the conclusion of the hearing. The case, pertaining to election rigging, was filed by Air Marshal Asghar Khan (Retd).
Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said the illegal actions of Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg (Retd) and Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani (Retd) damaged the reputation of the Army and ISI. The Chief Justice directed the government to remove political cells from all the agencies and that money given to politicians should be taken back along with interest.
The court also ordered action against banker Younus Habib, who facilitated the disbursement of the money. The order said the Federal Investigation Agency should take action against the politicians who received the money. The apex court’s directions came after hearing the Attorney-General of Pakistan and defence officials.
Talking to reporters outside the apex court, Air Marshal Asghar Khan (Retd) welcomed the decision, terming it correct. His counsel, Ikram Raja, said a larger bench could be formed later if the government did not implement the order.
Meanwhile, Pakistan minister for political affairs Maula Bakhsh Chandio said the Supreme Court verdict would help strengthen democracy and add to the respect of the apex court. He said the court had delivered a historic judgment which would also help prevent interference of agencies in the electoral process.