Former Pak Army, ISI chiefs quizzed over 1990 election rigging

Representational image

Islamabad: Former chiefs of the Pakistan Army and powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were today quizzed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over their alleged involvement in the 1990 election rigging and distribution of money to politicians. 

Former army chief Gen Aslam Beg and former ISI chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani appeared before a FIA committee tasked with the implementation of the Asghar Khan case verdict, according to official sources.

The sources did not share the nature of questions and answers but confirmed that the former top officers were quizzed.

The Supreme Court had last week tasked FIA to implement the court's 2012 verdict. 

In 1996, retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan had filed a human rights petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, accusing the ISI of doling out money to a group of politicians including Nawaz Sharif to cobble up an electoral alliance against Pakistan Peoples Party of Benazir Bhutto to defeat her in 1990 elections.

The case had resurfaced recently when a Supreme Court bench expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of progress considering the apex court had in 2012 ordered action against both military officials as well as the politicians who received money from them.

Both Beg and Durrani allegedly played role in bribing the politicians to rig the polls.

Then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry deciding the case in 2012 ruled that the 1990 elections had been polluted by dishing out Rs 140 million to a particular group of politicians.

He said the purpose was to deprive the people of being represented by their chosen representatives.