Daily Times

The legal heirs of late Asghar Khan on Thursday rejected the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) recommendations and requested the Supreme Court not to close the case. The late air chief marshal had petitioned SC in 1996 alleging that two senior army officers and then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan had doled out Rs 140 million among several politicians to rig the 1990 polls against Benazir Bhutto.

In a joint response filed by the late air chief marshal’s family, including his wife and son Ali Asghar Khan, the heirs pleaded the apex court that the case should be taken to its logical conclusion. The family stated that it wants the court’s decision in the Asghar Khan case so that it can be put before the people of Pakistan. “The late air marshal, Asghar Khan, endeavoured to cleanse the democratic process from unlawful interference by any person, military or civilian, no matter highly placed. This endeavour has not yet achieved fruition and a just end. Consequently, the family of late air marshal Asghar Khan seeks to continue his endeavour and opposes the closure of the inquiry sought by the FIA,” said the written reply.

Urges Supreme Court to take the case to its logical conclusion

The family also sought conclusion of the trial against the military personal involved and the placement of the result of the trial before the people of Pakistan. Citing the FIA’s progress in the case, the reply mentioned it was clear that “no attempt has been made by the FIA to approach for evidence the central figure retired Brig Hamid Saeed Akhtar, who had confessed before the court his personal role in carrying out the unlawful operation regarding disbursement of funds” to various politicians and institutions before the general election of 1990.

The reply claimed that the Ministry of Defence did not support the FIA in execution of the court orders. “In these circumstances, the request to close the inquiry and the case is unwarranted,” it added. Additionally, the family members expressed their concerns that “more than six years after the final judgement of the apex court, proceedings against none of the military personnel involved in the matter, including Gen (r) Aslam Baig and Lt Gen (r) Asad Durrani who had confessed their wrongdoing against the constitution and the law, have been concluded”.

The FIA, in a previous hearing at the SC, had submitted a report stating that there was ‘not enough evidence to continue investigating’ the case. On January 3, the Supreme Court had issued a three-page interim order on the case and issued notices to the legal heirs of Asghar Khan.

Published in Daily Times, January 11^th 2019.