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Asghar Khan case: Aslam Beg holds Durrani responsible
ISLAMABAD: Ex army chief Mirza Aslam Beg has blamed former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Asad Durrani for distributing money among politicians in his reply submitted to the Supreme Court today, Geo News reported.A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, is seized with a petition filed by Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan some 16 years ago against the distribution of millions of rupees by the ISI among anti-PPP politicians to manipulate the 1990 elections.
The amount was allegedly disbursed by then army chief General Mirza Aslam Beg (retd), former director general ISI Lt Gen Asad Durrani (retd) and defunct Mehran Bank chief Younis Habib.
The former chief submitted a counter reply on Wednesday in the much talked-about case, holding his spymaster for distributing cash among anti-PPP politicians including the Sharif Brothers.
'The money to be disbursed was deposited in ISI's bank account not in army's account and then ISI chief Asad Durrani opened accounts and transferred the amounts to the desired politicians,' the statement said.
It was Asad who implemented the presidential orders and he is the central figure in the case not me, it further added.
On April 25, Ms. Naveeda Noor, Assistant Director (Legal), Intelligence Bureau, placed on record a sealed cover containing the accounts of Intelligence Bureau for the years 2008-09, as it has been reported in an English daily that in the year of 2009, an amount of Rs270m was taken out from the account of IB for toppling the Punjab government.
The report was opened in the courtroom and after going through it, the court directed to seal it again. The court asked director general IB to file a concise statement on spending the amount for toppling the Punjab government in the year 2009.
Later, on the request of Attorney General, the court adjourned the hearing till May 10, and directed the AG to produce the reports of Mehran Bank and Habib Bank scandals.
Courtesy www.geo.tv