Doubts about closure of ISI's political wing: Pak parties

Lahore, Apr 2: Another petition has been filed before Pakistan Supreme Court by chairman of Al-Jihad Trust, Habib Wahabul Khairi, asking it to shut the political wing of Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).

The petitioner, Khairi, who is known for being a counsel in the Supreme Court’s 1999 famous judgement related to judges’ appointment criteria, has accused former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of forming the ISI’s political cell for his personal interests in 1975. “The purpose of my petition is to end ISI’s interference in political affairs of the state, as it is a violation of fundamental rights,” Khairi said.

Air Marshal (Retd) Asghar Khan had also filed a similar petition in 1996, appealing the court to look into allegations that the ISI had provided Rs 140 million to create the Islamic Jamhoori Itehad to harm Benazir Bhutto’s election campaign. Khairi was also Khan’s counsel in the 1996 case against ISI when the Supreme Court took it up.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, would listen to Khairi’s arguments in the court. Khairi has requested the court to order closing down ISI’s political wing permanently and has asked the court to make sure the recovery of the distributed money from political parties keeping in view the present value of money and declare all those politicians ineligible for their corrupt practices in the elections.

PTI