Nisar demands judicial review of ISI’s political role

Expressing reservations over President Asif Ali Zardari’s proposed address to a joint sitting of parliament, National Assembly Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan demanded on Sunday a judicial review of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)’s past and present political role in the country. Addressing a press conference in response to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s press conference in which he declared his assets, Nisar said Khan had not declared his complete assets. He challenged Khan to approach the Supreme Court on the issue. “Choose any independent tribunal, either the Supreme Court or the high courts of Sindh, Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to challenge the assets of the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) leadership and present evidence there … we will also bring evidence against you (Khan) on the same forum so that the nation can learn the reality,” he added.
Nisar also asked Khan to go to British or Saudi Arabian courts if he had any proof about the Sharifs’ illegal business and property in those countries. He said the PML-N would welcome reopening of the Asghar Khan case in the Supreme Court. “We seek a judicial review of the past and present political role of the ISI,” he said. “He concealed some assets which he earlier declared in 2002 before the Election Commission of Pakistan,” said Nisar, adding that the details of Khan’s assets would be shared with the nation after Ashura. He said Khan had conducted a media trial of the PML-N leadership and was not telling the nation the truth about his real assets.
He said Khan’s “palace” at Banigala sprawled over 300 kanals of land. “Khan told the media that his ex-wife gifted him that palace at the time of his divorce … does anyone present gifts at the time of divorce?” he asked.
Nisar said he had an attested copy of Khan’s general power of attorney bearing the stamp of the Notary Public, London which was contradictory to Khan’s declaration of assets. He said the PTI chairman was not targeting President Zardari, who had been convicted by the Swiss courts.
Challenging Khan’s claim that Nawaz Sharif’s government’s tax reforms of 1992 were meant to benefit tax evaders, Nisar said: “The said tax reforms were meant to curb ‘hawala’ and document transactions… if the reforms were wrong why did Khan transfer his money using these reforms?” he said.
He asked Khan to tell people how much tax he paid from 1979 to 2002. He said Nawaz Sharif paid Rs 2 million in taxes in 2010 and Rs 2.5 million in taxes in 2011, while Shahbaz Sharif had paid Rs 6 million in 2011.
Speaking about President Zardari’s announcement that he would address the joint sitting of parliament after Muharram, Nisar said the announcement was part of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s new game plan. He said if the president and government had to clear their position on the memogate, the appropriate forum was the Supreme Court.
Nisar said he had talked to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif about Zardari’s planned address and added that the party would have consultations after Ashura on the issue and decide whether to participate in the joint sitting.
He said the PML-N was the only party that was pursuing the cause of accountability in the country. “For the last three years, we have been pressing the government to pass the accountability bill in which our party has proposed accountability of all public servants including politicians, judges, generals and bureaucrats … no political party supported us practically in this cause,” he added.
Nisar said that in the new accountability bill, the PML-N wanted accountability starting from 1947 and it was in favour of appointment of a serving judge of the Supreme Court as head of the accountability commission.