Lahore: A Pakistani court has directed the federal government to allocate funds to purchase lie detector machines after a lawyer contended in a petition that such devices are needed to expose politicians.
Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court, who has in recent weeks handled several important cases including one related to blasphemous caricatures on Facebook, issued the direction yesterday while disposing of the petition filed by lawyer Javed Iqbal Jeffrey.
In his petition, Jeffrey had sought the permanent disqualification of former premier Nawaz Sharif, the return of foreign assets owned by Pakistani politicians and installation of lie detector machines to expose the politicians.
Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik informed the court that the government had “no specific fund for the purchase of such machines”.
However, a recommendation in this regard could be sent to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council if a court issued an order in this regard.
Justice Chaudhry observed that such devices could be helpful for courts as well because investigating agencies employ forensic and chemical examination methods that have become obsolete.
He directed the federal government to prepare a feasibility report and allocate special funds for the purchase of modern devices like lie detector machines in order to introduce modern technology for investigating cases without delay.
Jeffery had also requested the court to direct the Federal Board of Revenue and all anti-corruption agencies to employ lie detector machines on all "politicians, bureaucrats and lawyers as they always tell lies to the nation even under oath on the Holy Quran”.
He had also demanded the registration of First Information Reports against former President Pervez Musharraf and former premier Shaukat Aziz for allegedly looting national wealth.
Jeffrey had accused top lawyers Babar Awan, Malik Qayyum, Abdul Hameed Dogar, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, Wasim Sajjad and Sharifuddin Pirzada of obtaining huge fees and bribes on the pretext of influencing judges and getting favourable verdicts.
He said they should be fully taxed and penalties imposed on them for tax evasion.
He also made Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani`s wife Fauzia a party in his petition. PTI
