The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is yet to receive a formal directive to initiate a probe into Asghar Khan case in light of Supreme Court of Pakistan's verdict, it is learnt.
Well-placed sources in FIA confided to Business Recorder that country's premier investigation agency is still awaiting a go-ahead before it formally initiates a probe into allegations against several political heavyweights that they accepted bribes and the then Chief of Army Staff Aslam Beg and the then ISI Chief Asad Durrani distributed money among those politicians with the objective of manipulating the 1990 election results.
According to them, it is a high profile case involving top politicians and military generals. "There is a pin-drop silence as far as this matter is concerned ...the moment we get any directive, we will spring into action," said an official of the FIA on condition of anonymity. However, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar insisted that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had issued directives to the FIA shortly after the apex court verdict. He added that the government was committed to holding a thorough probe into the distribution of money among identified members of the then IJI, as directed by Supreme Court of Pakistan in Asghar Khan case.
Babar said there was no hindrance from the government side and all available options would be used to nab the persons involved in the case. "We are committed to implementing the apex court verdict in letter and in spirit," he maintained. When contacted a PML-N spokesman said that after the statement of Nawaz Sharif there was no further question of the party's readiness to appear before any impartial probing team. He also accused the PPP of point-scoring by hurling accusations against the PML-N, which were yet to be proved. ANP's central secretary-information Zahid Khan said that complete and impartial probe should be initiated into the matter in light of the apex court order. He said that no single party should be targeted and all those accused of receiving money in 1990 election should be brought to justice.
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