The Asghar Khan Case, which dates back to a human rights petition filed by the late politician in 1996 regarding millions of rupees spent to buy over the loyalties of politicians ahead of the 1990 election won by the PML-N, created many waves. The apex court had in its 2012 verdict sought a full inquiry into the matter and ordered the FIA to begin investigations. However, over six years after that verdict was delivered nothing appears to have moved forward in terms of discovering who ran the fund from which the money was doled out or who was involved in the process.
The FIA’s plea to the court to drop the matter, given the number of years that have passed, is difficult to justify. If this rule was universally applied, and such a precedent set, many other cases would have to be dropped as well. In legal terms, it is therefore not surprising that an SC bench has now ordered the FIA to submit a report within four weeks into the matter and provide whatever evidence it possesses. We cannot be certain why the FIA has not already proceeded in the matter given that under the law of the land it is required to do so.
Given the significance of the Asghar Khan Case and the discovery that the allegations initially made by former interior minister Naseerullah Babar were backed by others in positions of authority, it is imperative that an all-out attempt be made to reach the full truth in the matter. The events of 1990 and the months before the elections amounted to a clear attempt to subvert democracy and promote political corruption. We need to know as much as possible about all that happened so that similar events can be averted in the future. Indeed this fits in with the current government’s agenda of dealing with corruption in politics. The failure to do so in the case of the 1990 election has now been taken notice of by the apex court. We must hope its orders on the matter will be followed up on and that the government will ensure that the FIA and other authorities perform the duties assigned to them. This would set the correct precedent and help prove that the current regime is truly committed to carrying out the promises it made during the election campaign and after assuming power.