Pak SC issues notice to ex-PM Sharif in 1996 poll rigging case

Pakistan's Supreme Court today issued notices to 21 politicians and military officials, including deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Asad Durrani, in the infamous Asghar Khan poll rigging case.

The action was taken as a follow up to the 2012 decision of the Supreme Court in the Asghar case of 1996, which was based on a petition of former air chief Air Marshal Asghar Khan.

Khan had alleged that the army and ISI distributed millions of rupees among politicians ahead of the 1990 elections to bring them together to defeat the Pakistan Peoples' Party of former premier and slain leader Benazir Bhutto.

While deciding the case the court in 2012 had ordered the government to probe it and take action against those involved in giving and taking money.

After years of inaction, current Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has taken notice of the delay and asked the government as well as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe and fix the responsibility.

While hearing the implementation of 2012 verdict today in Lahore registry of the Supreme Court, the chief justice ordered that the notices should be issued to the civilians and military officials involved in it.

Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf also presented a Cabinet meeting report in which it ordered the FIA and NAB to implement the apex court's order.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till June 6.

Apart from Durrani, former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg is also accused in the scam to bribe politicians to form an alliance to defeat Bhutto who eventually lost the 1990 polls and Sharif was appointed as prime minister.