President of Pakistan should be impartial: chief justice

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday resumed hearing of Asghar Ali Khan case as Secretary to President Asif Ali Zardari submitted government’s response regarding the case.
However, former Military Intelligence (MI) officer, Brig Hamid Saeed, who was summoned by the apex court, did not turn up due to his illness. The court reissued notice to him to appear before the jury on next hearing, a private television channel reported
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the petition filed by Air Martial (retd) Asghar Khan pertaining to allegations against the Inter Services Intelligence of distributing money among politicians before general elections of 1990.
Khan accused the ISI of dishing out Rs140 million to create Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent PPP from winning the polls.
In written response submitted to the court, Secretary to the President, Malik Asif Hayat, told the court that no political cell had been operating in the presidency since 2008.
Justice Arif Hussain Khilji inquired that whether any such cell existed prior to 2008. To which Asif Hayat said that a file of 1990 has been recovered by officials bearing the name of ‘Election Information Cell’.
Asif Hayat said President’s Military Secretary is out of country and that further response could only be submitted after reviewing his files.
The court once again inquired from him of political cell in 1990s. At which the CJP remarked that “government’s reply leaves an impression that the then president of Pakistan had been supporting a particular party in the name of IJI. The demand of president’s office is that he can’t support a particular party and should be impartial.”
“It has been mentioned in the oath of president of Pakistan that he would extend his support to every one without any prejudice and discrimination; therefore backing the IJI is violation of this oath,” the CJP said.
“According to the Constitution, President of Pakistan is head of the state not leader a particular political group,” Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said.
The apex court summoned Defence Ministry’s Director Legal, Commander (retd) Shahbaz, and sought from the ministry details of Rs80 million distributed from secret accounts, with information about the account holders.
The court later adjourned the case.