'I disbursed Rs400mn among politicians on behest of Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Aslam Beg'

KARACHI: Former Mehran Bank chief Younis Habib appeared before the Supreme Court regarding alleged disbursement of Rs400 million by him under pressure from former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and former army chief General Mirza Aslam Beg among anti-PPP politicians, the media reported on Thursday.

The Supreme Court resumed the hearing of a 1996 plea moved by Air Marshal (Retd.) Asghar Khan. In the plea he alleged that money was disbursed among anti-PPP politicians by former army chief General Mirza Aslam Beg, former director general ISI Lieutenant General Asad Durrani and former Mehran Bank chief Younis Habib to disrupt the general elections.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez is conducting the hearing in the case.

Former director general ISI Lieutenant General Asad Durrani and Younus Habib appeared before the court on Thursday while Commander Shahbaz represented the Defence Ministry.

Younis Habib submitted his written statement to the court during the hearing. He told the apex court that former army chief General Aslam Beg arranged his meeting with the then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990.

He disclosed further that Rs35 million was demanded by Beg for elections in the name of national interest.

Due to pressure, he continued that he arranged Rs1.5 billion out of which Rs400 million was deposited in various accounts of politicians while the rest was invested.

He told the court that he had no other option but to accept the president's orders since he was the head of a nationalized bank and that he was pressurized by Roedad Khan and the attorney general to register a case against Asif Zardari in 1990.

However, the former Mehran Bank chief told the court that he sought an unconditional apology.