Daily Times

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday reprimanded the federal government over lack of progress in the Asghar Khan case, as he resumed hearing in the case a day after returning from a two-week international tour.

“Why hasn’t the federal cabinet done anything regarding the Asghar Khan case verdict,” he remarked, adding that this is a serious case but the government is least concerned about it.

A three-member bench, headed by the CJP, heard the case at the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry. On May 8, the apex court had given a week’s time to the federal government to summon meeting of the federal cabinet to determine what action to be taken in light of the verdict in the case.

Appearing before the court, the attorney general (AG) requested the court to grant more time. “Please give us some more time to summon a meeting of the cabinet,” he said. To which, an enraged CJP remarked, “The cabinet should hold a meeting today and take a decision. You must tell us about cabinet’s decision today only.” Federal Investigation Agency Director General Basheer Memon said that an inquiry into the case is ongoing.

On October 19, 2012, a Supreme Court bench headed by former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Chaudhry had directed the executive to take action against former army chief Gen (r) Mirza Aslam Beg and former spymaster Gen (r) Asad Durrani for distributing millions of rupees among politicians against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ahead of the 1990 general elections. The SC had also asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe into the matter against the politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, who had allegedly received money to spend on election campaigns in the general elections of 1990.

The apex court has already rejected a review petition by Beg and Durrani against its 2012 verdict in the Asghar Khan case and has sought a reply from the federal government regarding implementation of its 2012 verdict.

Published in Daily Times, June 1^st 2018.