Military’s job is to protect the borders: CJP

CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry said this while hearing Asghar Khan case. The Supreme Court on Monday resumed the hearing of the petition filed by Air Martial (retd) Asghar Khan pertaining to allegations against the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of distributing money among politicians.

The chief justice remarked that former ISI chief Lt General (R) Assad Durrani’s disbursing of funds was an unnconstitutional act.

Former ISI chief Lt Gen (Retd) Asad Durrani had admitted that he distributed 70 million rupees among politicians upon orders from higher authorities‚ including General Aslam Baig and Ijlal Haider Zaidi.

Durrani, in his statement, said the money was distributed by Brigadier Hamid Saeed and that it was done in the larger interest of the country upon the directives of the then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

Upon which, the chief justice asked what he meant by the term “national interest”, adding that, the idea of national interest must not be abused.

The chief justice said national interest was fulfilled when the country’s internal matters were handled by the government and its borders were protected by the armed forces.

The military’s job was to protect the borders, the chief justice added.

Earlier, Secretary to President Asif Ali Zardari, Malik Asif Hayat, appeared before the bench.

Hayat said the case was old and a response would be filed over it as soon as the records were recovered.

Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja inquired of the president’s secretary as to whether a political cell was currently operating in the President House.

Hayat stated  that he had no information on any political activity in the President House.

Asghar Khan, in his petition,  had accused the ISI of financing politicians in the 1990 elections by dishing out Rs140 million to create the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent Benazir Bhutto’s PPP from winning the polls.