Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court’s ruling holding two former generals responsible for rigging the 1990 general election could change the course of the country’s politics and affect President Asif Ali Zardari’s ability to engage in active politics, the media said on Saturday.
The verdict handed down by a bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in a 16-year-old case against the funding of politicians by intelligence agencies “may change the course of the country’s political history” though it was unclear whether action would be taken against the general under civilian or military laws, the influential Dawn newspaper reported.
The ruling has made it impossible for Zardari to “continue as co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party or carry on his political activities”, The News reported. Zardari’s refusal to stop such activities may lead to action against him under the Constitution and the law, it added.
The apex courton Friday directed the government to take legal action against former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Asad Durrani for their role in paying millions of rupees to politicians to rig the 1990 polls. It said the funds were distributed as part of a conspiracy hatched by an “election cell” in the presidency created by late President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.
The court further directed that all political or election cells in the presidency or intelligence agencies should be “abolished immediately”. It also called on authorities to recover all the funds paid out by the generals.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said his government would conduct a transparent and impartial probe to identify those who had received funds so action could be taken against them. (PTI)