ISI should keep off from politics: Asghar Khan

Islamabad, Feb 5 (UNI) Voicing his concern for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) still being ''politically active'' in the country, former Pakistani Air Chief Air Marshal Asghar Khan has urged the Supreme Court ''to determine its role in national politics.'' Addressing a press conference here, Mr Khan, who formed Tehrik-e-Istaqlal party and emerged as one of the main opponents of ex-Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1970s, alleged that the ''political wing of the ISI was still operational.'' The Dawn newspaper quoted him as saying ''there should be no role of the security agency in politics.'' He also observed that general elections in the country ''would be meaningless unless the role of ISI in politics was eliminated.'' He urged the apex court to resume the hearing of a case pertaining to Rs 140 million obtained by the ISI from a banker and distributed among politicians belonging to the then Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) prior to October 1990 elections.

The amount had been distributed among the IJI components on the directives of the then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, he said adding that the receipts were already in the custody of Supreme Court and no further proof was required.

Mr Khan said those who received these funds from the ISI should be asked to return the same with interest to the government and they should also be disqualified.

He said his letter regarding the distribution of funds among the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad components had been converted into a petition by the then Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and few hearings also took place.

He, however, said that no hearing had taken place after October 1999 military coup.

The present setup could, in no way, '' be termed as democratic but was an outright military government,'' he said adding that there was'' no room for the military in politics and they were bound to obey their political masters voted to power by the masses.'' ''The elections under military government would be meaningless,'' Mr Khan said.

He said huge funds in the name of development had been provided to candidates of the ''King's Party''- the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.

He also observed that even the presence of foreign observers ''would not help prevent rigging in elections.'' UNI