'ISI, MI officials distributed Rs 140mn to politicians'

Former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Asad Durrani has acknowledged that he and military intelligence officials had distributed Rs 140 million among politicians to prevent the Pakistan People's Party coming to power in the 1990 general election.

In a statement submitted to the Supreme Court, Durrani said the amount distributed by him was approximately Rs 70 million. The remaining amount was deposited in a special ISI fund and subsequently distributed by MI officials.

Durrani further said he had received the funds from then army chief Gen (retired) Mirza Aslam Beg. Ijlal Haider Zaidi, a member of then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan's election team, had provided the names of politicians who should be provided funds, he said.

The money was doled out on the directions of Beg, he added.

The former spy chief said he would reveal the names of officers who helped distribute money to influence the 1990 polls in a sealed envelope.

In the statement submitted to the court on Thursday, he requested that any sealed documents provided by him should be treated as classified.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is hearing a petition filed in 1996 by former air force chief Asghar Khan, who alleged that intelligence agencies had influenced the political process before the 1990 election by providing millions of rupees to politicians to create a front against the PPP.

During the last hearing on July 16, the court had asked Durrani to provide a concise statement, evidence and affidavits on the distribution of the money. Durrani further conceded he had assigned the task of distributing money to certain officers of the military intelligence, who were cognisant that the funds were being disbursed to influence the polls.

These officials had later reported to him about the distribution, he said. Asghar Khan has alleged that the ISI had financed anumber of politicians in the 1990 election to create the now defunct Islami Jamhoori Ittehad and prevent the PPP from winning the polls.