Pak SC seeks Intelligence Bureau's response on alleged spending to topple 2009 Punjab Govt

Islamabad, Mar 31(ANI): Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General (DG) Aftab Sultan to submit a report on the distribution of money that was allegedly used to dislodge the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Government in Punjab in 2009.

The apex court expressed anger over missing reports of Mehran Bank and Habib Bank after Attorney General (AG) Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq informed the bench that the Interior and Law Secretaries had told him that the reports on the affairs in the two banks were unavailable.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervaiz was hearing the petition filed by Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan regarding disbursement of funds among the politicians by the Inter Services Intelligence, The Nation reports.

During the proceedings, the court reminded Anwar-ul-Haq that he was ordered in the last hearing to get instruction from the IB about the veracity of a news item published in an English newspaper that claimed that 270 million rupees were allegedly used by the civilian spy agency to dislodge the Punjab government in 2009.

Aftab Sultan, while appearing before the court, said the inventory, which contained the detail of spending, was not with him; therefore, he could not confirm nor deny the report at the moment.

He further told the bench that they maintained the record of spent funds but they did not mention the purpose.

The judges observed that the money given to the agencies was for maintaining security rather than destabilising the political set up.

The hearing was adjourned till 23rd April 2012. (ANI)