FIA seeks SC's guidance in collecting evidence in Asghar Khan case

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted on Saturday its report to the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the Asghar Khan case.

In its report, the agency has sought the top court's assistance and guidance in gathering sufficient evidence regarding the case. The agency says that it had reached a dead end in the investigation despite unearthing the facts. FIA told the SC that all the key witnesses had been interrogated including the politicians, local media reported.

The agency told the court that the case could not reach any conclusion as Army officers had not given any statement of handing over money to any private person directly. The agency asked the top court to guide and help it in its investigation.

Former Air Chief Air Marshal Khan filed petitioned the SC in 1996 against former Army Chief (retd) General Mirza Aslam Beg and ex-Inter Service Intelligence Chief Lt-General (retd) Asad Durrani. Khan, who passed away last year in January, was represented in the top court by lawyer Salman Akram Raja.

In the petition, Khan alleged that Beg and Durrani, along with the then President of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan, distributed Rs140 million among several politicians ahead of the 1990 elections to pre-rig the polls and ensure Benazir Bhutto’s defeat in it.

The amount was allegedly provided by Younas Habib, who at that time was the chief executive officer of Habib Bank Limited, which used to be a government bank. Among the many names of the politicians included Nawaz Sharif’s, who was accused of receiving Rs3.5 million.