Army ready to prosecute Beg, Durrani, claims report

ISLAMABAD: The army has said it will assist the Supreme Court to prosecute retired top-ranking military officers allegedly involved in the politically engineering of the 1990 general elections, reported Arab News.

The Asghar Khan case is named after Air Marshall (ret) Asghar Khan who filed a human rights petition in 1996, accusing former officers of covertly funding electoral campaigns, buying political loyalties and influencers, and the formation of an alliance (IJI) to manipulate the country’s national elections to defeat the PPP.

Among the accused were former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and ex-DG of Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Asad Durrani. The Ministry of Defense submitted a letter to the superior court saying that the military was willing to hold a trial and prosecute the former accused officers.

The Army's Director General Lawfare Directorate (DGLP), formerly known as the Judge Advocate General, has consulted the office of Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf to take legal action against the accused former top brass. The attorney general dad suggested to the court that the retired officers’ case should be referred to the military.