Islamabad: Pakistani authorities were unable
to trace the reports of two commissions that investigated the
funding of politicians by the ISI in 1990, the government`s
top law officer informed the Supreme Court on Friday.
When a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar
Chaudhry resumed hearing on a petition filed by ex-air force
chief Asghar Khan against the distribution of funds among
politicians by the ISI, Attorney General Anwar-ul-Haq said the
reports of two commissions that probed the issue could not be
found in the Law Ministry.
The Chief Justice remarked that the reports were very
important and need to be declassified.
He directed the Attorney General to produce them in court
at the next hearing on April 23.
The bench also took up a recent media report which had
alleged that Rs 270 million were withdrawn from the
Intelligence Bureau`s secret fund to change the government in
Punjab province in 2009.
Intelligence Bureau chief Aftab Sultan, who personally
appeared in court, sought more time to ascertain the facts.
Sultan told the bench that the register in which
expenditures from the secret fund were recorded was
unavailable today.
Besides, he pointed out, the reasons for such
expenditures are not mentioned in the register.
The Chief Justice remarked that the Intelligence Bureau`s
secret fund was meant to be used for the national interest and
not to weaken democracy.
He directed the spy agency chief to check the accounts
for 2009 and inform the apex court if funds were spent as had
been alleged in the media report.
The Chief Justice said the journalist who filed the
report was standing by his claims while the Intelligence
Bureau had not denied the accusations as yet.
He asked the Intelligence Bureau chief to submit his
response in a sealed envelope at the next hearing.
The Supreme Court recently resumed hearing on Asghar
Khan`s petition against the funding of politicians by the ISI
after a gap of over 12 years.
Banker Yunus Habib has testified in court that he
arranged Rs 1.48 billion for the military, and about Rs 400
million were distributed among politicians linked to the
army-backed Islami Jamhoori Ittehad in a bid to prevent the
Pakistan People`s Party from coming to power in the 1990
general election.
PTI
