Islamabad: Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, during the hearing of the Asghar Khan petition pertaining to Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) distributing money among politicians, has reiterated that President Asif Ali Zardari should not support any political group.
"Under the Constitution, the president is the head of state, not the chief of a political party," The Dawn quoted Justice Iftikhar, as saying.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar, has been hearing the 1996 petition filed by former Air Marshal Khan who had accused the ISI of financing politicians in the 1990 elections by dishing out Rs 140 million to create the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent Benazir Bhutto's PPP from winning the polls.
The petition was based on an affidavit of Durrani. During the proceedings, Secretary to President Asif Ali Zardari, Malik Asif Hayat, submitted a response stating that no political cell had been operating in the President House since 2008. Hayat moreover stated that it was possible that an election information cell had operated from the President House in the past.
ANI
First Published: Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 21:18