FIA recommends top court to close Asghar Khan case

ISLAMABAD - The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday asked the Supreme Court to shut the case filed by the late air chief Air Marshal Asghar Khan.

In a report submitted to the apex court, the investigation agency sought closure of the case on the basis of the lack of evidence. “There are contradictions in the statements submitted by the witnesses,” it added.

The case is more than 25 years old and there is no record of bank transaction, the FIA's report revealed.

"Politicians who were accused of taking money have also denied the accusations," it further read.

On Friday, the top court has fixed the hearing of the case on December 31 (Monday).

Asghar Khan Case

Filed by former air chief, Asghar Khan, the case in question is one of the most talked about cases in the judicial history of Pakistan. It also gives a glimpse about the civil-military relations and the role played by the military establishment in the political domain.

Former Air Marshal Asghar Khan, in his petition filed in 1996, claimed that two senior army officers and then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan doled out Rs 140 million among few individuals to thwart the bid of Pakistan People’s Party, secure victory in the 1990 elections.

Asghar KhanThe petition was filed when Justice Nasim Hassan Shah was the Chief Justice, however, the verdict came after a span of 16 years on October 19, 2012 when the apex court issued a 141-page verdict, ordering legal proceedings against Gen (retd) Beg and Lt Gen (retd) Durrani, however, nothing substantial was done in this regard.

The 2012 apex court judgment, authored by the then-Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, had directed the Federal Investigation Agency to initiate a transparent investigation and subsequent trial if sufficient evidence is found against the former army officers.

Gen (r) Asad DurraniAsghar Khan, who passed away in January this year, was represented in the Supreme Court by renowned lawyer Salman Akram Raja.

Interestingly, the federal government had filed a review petition in 2012 when Asif Ali Zardari was the president, however, it was taken back.

Among the politicians accused of receiving money, the most noticeable is Nawaz Sharif, the former premier of Pakistan, who, according to the affidavit submitted by Asad Durrani got Rs 3.5 million.