Mehran Bank case: Durrani says Beg was on board since beginning

Former ISI chief Lt Gen (r) Asad Durrani said on Wednesday that former army chief General (r) Mirza Aslam Beg was on board right from the beginning in the process of issuing instructions as well as overseeing the disbursement of funds to political parties in the 1990s. In his statement last week, Beg denied his involvement in disbursement of funds allegedly by the ISI among politicians to topple former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's government. The former COAS stated that from the very outset of this case, he has maintained that he had absolutely no involvement in the disbursement of donations, ordered by former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Responding to his statement, Asad Durrani, in a two-page statement submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, said, "I received my initial orders to organise distribution of election donations... Though the subsequent instructions were at times conveyed by Mr Ijlal Haider Zaidi, a member of the president's election team, I kept the army chief fully informed." He said that Beg was trying to absolve himself of any role in distribution of funds to various recipients. According to Durrani, the institution of the ISI was brought under political control way back in 1975. According to Gen (r) Beg's affidavit dated 23.2.97, a political cell was created in the ISI by the then PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. "Be as it may, ISI as an organisation responds to multiple centres of power: the President, in his capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces; the three service chiefs and the chairman JSHQ; and indeed the Prime Minister." Durrani said that in practice, however, the army chief wields more power over the ISI than any of its other 'bosses'; not only because of his extraordinary status in the national polity, but also because most of the ISI's senior appointments, including its director general are serving soldiers. "All accounts were maintained by the officers belonging to various MI detachments and funds were placed in temporary accounts (details can be provided on confidential basis). Only after the disbursements were over, the balance was transferred to a special fund of the ISI. Since records were meticulously maintained, all transactions can be accounted for." Asad Durrani said, "However, as I had stated when called upon by the Hon'able Court to do so on 9.3.2012, I do not wish to merely take cover of the mandate, or of carrying out orders from the competent authority." "I believe that as a General of the Pakistan Army, I also have to take responsibility for my action. In this case I followed orders convinced that it was in the country's best interest. I seek the court's permission to explain my decision on confidential basis; or if it pleases the court, to submit an 'eyes only' paper on the subject," he said. The court will take up Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan's petition against disbursement of millions of rupees by the ISI among anti-PPP politicians to manipulate the 1990 elections today (Thursday). The amount was allegedly disbursed by General (r) Beg, Asad Durrani and defunct Mehran Bank chief Younas Habib.