Mehran Bank Scandal~ SC petition

[pak-marine]

Former Mehran Bank chief admits distributing Rs400m

By Web Desk
Published: March 8, 2012


ISLAMABAD: Former chief of Mehran Bank Younis Habib admitted in front of the court on Thursday that he distributed Rs400 million to politicians before the 1990 elections.
Habib, while submitting his written statement in the Supreme Court during the hearing of Asghar Khan’s petition, apologised for being a part of the scandal. He told the court that he was under so much pressure that he did not have any choice left.
In his statements, Habib revealed that former Army chief Aslam Baig introduced him to then president Ghulam Ishaq Dar.
Baig telephoned him in March 1990 and told him that the president wants him to arrange for Rs350 million, said Habib. But, when Habib said that it was impossible to arrange for such a huge amount, he was taken into custody by the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA).
He further revealed that due to the pressure, he arranged for Rs1.48 billion out of which Rs400 million were distributed while the rest were invested.

The bank account numbers in which the money was transferred was also provided by Baig, claimed Habib.

Asghar Khan’s petition alleges that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) rigged the 1990 elections by distributing millions of rupees among several politicians.
During today’s hearing, other respondents including former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani and Baig also appeared before the court.
Asghar Khan’s lawyer Raja Salman, speaking to the media, said that the prosecution of two people is not important, rather it is the role of institutions in the country.
He added that his client does not wish that the next 64 years of the country are the same as the past 64 years. “This is the purpose of the petition.”
“The task of punishing [the accused] is of the government and the court. It is the duty of the government to prosecute and proceed against them,” he added.
He also said that the Supreme Court can give a verdict which might compel the Election Commission to hold those involved in the scandal ineligible.

---------- Post added at 02:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

SC asks Asghar khan, Baig and Durrani to submit replies



ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court on Thursday resumed the hearing of the petition filed by Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan pertaining to Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) distributing money among politicians, DawnNews reported.

A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was hearing the case.

During the hearing, CJ said that few records were fretted out from the case, which he said the representative of the Ministry of Defence could scrutinise it.

Younis Habib revealed the confidential affidavit to the court.

Habib named former President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Former army chief General (retd) Mirza Aslam Baig and retired bureaucrat Roidad Khan as the ones who pushed him to distribute the amount of 40 crore.

SC asked Asghar Khan, Aslam Baig and Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani to submit their replies till March 9.

The three member bench also asked to show the record of the intelligence agencies from 1990 till today.

Earlier, Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan, in 1996, wrote a letter to then chief justice Nasim Hasan Shah against former army chief Mirza Aslam Baig, former ISI chief Lt-General (retd) Asad Durrani and Younis Habib of Habib and Mehran Banks, relating to the disbursement of public money and its misuse for political purposes.

Also, Habib is suspected to have given money secretively to Durrani on army’s directives, who disbursed it among different politicians against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government back in 1990-91.

 

[Guvera]

Interesting development but i still doubt that any of the x general's involved in this will be punished

 

[truthseer]

I was pleased to discover that some patriotic politicians like MQM's were NOT involved!

 

[BlackenTheSky]

I was pleased to discover that some patriotic politicians like MQM's were NOT involved!

 

[truthseer]

Trolls posting pictures, how new!

 

[Guvera]

I havent seen any PML(N) response uptil now on this issue, must be thinking how to save dengue brothers from this

 

[pak-marine]

‘Yousuf Advocate didn’t deliver money to Altaf Hussain’

Habib, in an exclusive interview with Express News said that Rs20 million which were handed to Yousuf Advocate to be sent to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, were not delivered.
Habib said that Advocate had embezzled the money.

MQM celebrates after Col Akbar’s statement

As reports that Hussain did not take money in the Mehrangate scandal surfaced, MQM called for celebrations throughout its units present in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Nawabshah.
The party’s coordination committee said that the explanatory statement given in the case razed all the allegations against him. The committee also said that the elements which are conspiring against Hussain were trying to mislead the masses by alleging that Hussain received money from ISI.
However, after Colonel (retd) Akbar said in an interview that in his presence, Brigadier Hamid tried to persuade Hussain to take money, but the latter refused.

 

[Guvera]

Never said money was given to Altaf Hussain: Younis Habib

What is Imran khan and PTI's stance on javed hashmi recieved money from ISI ??

 

[TechMan]

I was pleased to discover that some patriotic politicians like MQM's were NOT involved!

So you already know it even before SC has announced its judgement?

 

[SQ8]

Good to know that everybody is now under scrutiny.
be it the Politicos or the Brass

 

[Meengla]

I remember the heady days of mid-80's through early 90's. Like Aquino in Philippines, Benazir Bhutto landed in Lahore in 1986 to be welcomed by tens of millions sick and tired of the old, repressive order under Zia and his so-called 'democratic' poodles like Nawaz Sharif. Oh, I can write so much about it! The nastiness and obvious crimes of Pakistan's military led 'establishment' against PPP. It was not enough for them to have hanged ZAB a few years ago. They wanted more even though untold billions were plundered during the 'Jihad' against the Soviets....
Long story short, to stall the almost-certain PPP victory after Zia was killed all kinds machinations were used. Repression, false cases, television propaganda, right-wing journalist spewing venom, not to mention the usual tricks during the polls of 1988... Despite all that, PPP gained a simple majority with MQM firmly behind it in the 1988 elections. But BB was not given power for weeks. She was made to surrender Punjab to Nawaz Sharif. And then her crippled govt. was hounded and eventually kicked out in 1990. But she roared back and was almost certain to win the 1990 elections as well. But the script was different. I remember Benazir's slogan after VERY BADY losing the 1990 elections: "Karachi se Khyber tak, dhandli, dhandli!" and she was right!

Let's hope all this is never happens again! These kind of machinations cause nations to break up.

As to what may be done about this case: Debate and not punishment! Acknowledgement of sins. Apologies and forgiveness. And a pledge to never stoop to such levels even in the dirty and vicious politics of Pakistan.

PS. Kudos to Asghar Khan for trying to set the record straight for 15+ years. He was the same guy who spearheaded the move against ZAB but time is a big healer. He is following his conscience.

 

[Tameem]

I remember the heady days of mid-80's through early 90's. Like Aquino in Philippines, Benazir Bhutto landed in Lahore in 1986 to be welcomed by tens of millions sick and tired of the old, repressive order under Zia and his so-called 'democratic' poodles like Nawaz Sharif. Oh, I can write so much about it! The nastiness and obvious crimes of Pakistan's military led 'establishment' against PPP. It was not enough for them to have hanged ZAB a few years ago. They wanted more even though untold billions were plundered during the 'Jihad' against the Soviets....
Long story short, to stall the almost-certain PPP victory after Zia was killed all kinds machinations were used. Repression, false cases, television propaganda, right-wing journalist spewing venom, not to mention the usual tricks during the polls of 1988... Despite all that, PPP gained a simple majority with MQM firmly behind it in the 1988 elections. But BB was not given power for weeks. She was made to surrender Punjab to Nawaz Sharif. And then her crippled govt. was hounded and eventually kicked out in 1990. But she roared back and was almost certain to win the 1990 elections as well. But the script was different. I remember Benazir's slogan after VERY BADY losing the 1990 elections: "Karachi se Khyber tak, dhandli, dhandli!" and she was right!

Let's hope all this is never happens again! These kind of machinations cause nations to break up.

As to what may be done about this case: Debate and not punishment! Acknowledgement of sins. Apologies and forgiveness. And a pledge to never stoop to such levels even in the dirty and vicious politics of Pakistan.

PS. Kudos to Asghar Khan for trying to set the record straight for 15+ years. He was the same guy who spearheaded the move against ZAB but time is a big healer. He is following his conscience.

Absolutely Correct! I myself however in teens but nonetheless on the side of Army/ISI and against BB, we are totally brainwashed at that moment partly to Afghan Jihad and partly to rightest leaning thoughts of ours which are only used against us for just vested interests of super institutions.

Still its dificult for me to think to vote for BB(PPP) in 1990 if by chance i travel in past somehow, but nonetheless i simply do not hate her which i unnecessarily and severely did at that time. She was a remarkable leader of ours...!!

 

[mr42O]

Never said money was given to Altaf Hussain: Younis Habib

What is Imran khan and PTI's stance on javed hashmi recieved money from ISI ??

Watch capital talk from 25 Jan were Javed Hashmi answered himself. There was a 3rd person who was supposed to bribe Javed Hashmi and advocate from Karachi but that never had happend.

On other hand Nawaz Sharif and Shabaz Sharif got money which they have never denied either. First of all they need to call a press confrence and say sorry to Nation. Also give back each penny they took for there personal life and also there companies with today values x 100 because by using this money they made a empire in UK and in Pakistan.

---------- Post added at 04:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------

Never said money was given to Altaf Hussain: Younis Habib

What is Imran khan and PTI's stance on javed hashmi recieved money from ISI ??

Watch capital talk from 25 Jan were Javed Hashmi answered himself. There was a 3rd person who was supposed to bribe Javed Hashmi and advocate from Karachi but that never had happend.

On other hand Nawaz Sharif and Shabaz Sharif got money which they have never denied either. First of all they need to call a press confrence and say sorry to Nation. Also give back each penny they took for there personal life and also there companies with today values x 100 because by using this money they made a empire in UK and in Pakistan.

 

[pak-marine]

Never said money was given to Altaf Hussain: Younis Habib

What is Imran khan and PTI's stance on javed hashmi recieved money from ISI ??

Oh well since he has joined Imran khans PTI he has cleansed of all wrong doings .. these days if old rotten fishes in the dirty pond of pakistani politics if any one joins PTI its like performing haj for them ..

 

[pak-marine]

Denouement at hand, mercifully!

By Kamran Shafi
Published: March 8, 2012



First, kudos and praise to and for our Honourable Supreme Court ably led by My Lord Iftikhar Chaudhry for proving to all and sundry that it was serious when it took up Air Marshal Asghar Khan’s petition against the Establishment subverting democracy through corrupt and criminal means. Kudos to My Lord too, for seeing through the various machinations which would be resorted to by the Deep State in attempting to obfuscate the matter to its advantage.

So then, the so-called ‘Mehrangate’, which it is not because the procurer of the moneys involved in this quite disgraceful affair was then the Sindh provincial head of Habib Bank and had not till then set up Mehran Bank (which is another disgraceful story begging to be told!!) is exploding in their faces like one of their favourite bums and sending once-powerful Sahib Logs who have sat for too long on this country’s jugular, scurrying for cover! And who do you think I mean? Why, our great brass hats who have always thought themselves above the rest of us, doing with this country as they willed; and their handmaiden, the civilian bureaucracy then headed by Mr GIK (the late ‘President’ Ghulam Ishaq Khan) and his cronies. Hehehe, and serve them jolly well right.


You might well ask why I am so thrilled at the Inshallah fast-approaching denouement of the hydra-headed monster and bane of our lives, the Pakistani Deep State, and those that run it? Simply because they have ruled the roost for far too long to the country’s absolute detriment. Simply because of their utter dastardliness: destabilising elected governments, even dismissing them at whim; holding everyone else to account except themselves as if they were the inheritors of the country; sending an elected prime minister to the gallows after a sham trial and another to jail and exile.

Simply because they have no respect for the ordinary ‘bloody civilian’ Pakistani, disappearing people whenever it gets their fancy; torturing those they deem their detractors, even killing them in the most brutal fashion and dumping their bodies: witness the ongoing carnage in Balochistan, and against our poor minorities. The list of their crimes is long and hideous and would take 10 articles like this to recount. So let it be for the moment.

Now then, according to Younus Habib, the man painted as the evil incarnate by the Deep State for 16 years now, he was asked by M/s GIK; Roedad Khan, the then adviser to the president and lately another ‘leader’ of the PTI; Ijlal Haider Zaidi, then caretaker defence and establishment minister and a member of Mr GIK’s kitchen cabinet; and COAS General Aslam Beg to produce a large sum of money to subvert the coming elections.

Habib states that when he showed his inability to collect such a large sum he was arrested by the FIA until he did the needful, producing Rs148 crores. Of these, according to Habib, an amount of 34 crores was handed over to the ISI which placed 14 crores in something called a ‘Survey Group’ account and asked Habib to place 20 crores in other ‘associates’ accounts because some politicians were not willing to take a handout from the ISI directly.

Habib further alleges that the remaining Rs114 crores were used to buy property for ‘friends’, whatever that term means. Hopefully, the court proceedings will expose the beneficiaries of the Establishment’s largesse. Incidentally let me here and now caution the army and the ISI: that making people say that this disgraceful episode was the personal act of Aslam Beg and Asad Durrani will simply not wash? How would the two have personally benefitted from the PPP being kept out of power? Indeed, since Mr GIK and his cronies were directly involved how can this be a personal matter of Beg’s and Durrani’s.

This is nothing but nonsense to divert the attention of the people away from the institutional role of the Collegium of Generals of the army and the ISI who are the ones who decide who THEY would prefer in power. Indeed, General Moeenuddin Haider is on record telling General Nasirullah Babar that the army should not be involved because it would get a ‘bad name’. Incidentally, I call it the Collegium of Generals because they call all the shots, not the junior ranks and the soldiery who fight on the front lines for the country.

It is time that the brass hats realised that the time for their shenanigans is over, that it is time they realised that they are nothing but the servants of the country and of whichever government the people elect to govern it. They should realise that even they, even if they think of themselves as great military strategists and planners in the league of Rommel and Guderian cannot keep to their old ways after this present disgraceful case opens up more cans of worms. They should also recall the most recent catastrophes that were brought on the country by their ineptness and low professionalism and desist.

Er, isn’t saying the NLC has nothing to do with the army the same as saying that the Para-military Rangers and/or the Frontier Corps have nothing to do with the army, just because all of these organisations are paid from civilian budgetary estimates?
Is this not the Mother of All Disinformation, reader? For, whilst notionally the organisations named are ‘supposed’ to be under the civilian government, their officers are all of them drawn from the army. And don’t we know that it is the army that calls the shots running them?

Take the example of the NLC funds worth 3 billion rupees or some such being gambled away at the stock exchange by three army generals which the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly was looking into, and which the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is now threatening to investigate.

In the case of the PAC, the army announced that it would investigate the matter itself, and in the case of the NAB announcement no further news. So who is fooling who?

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2012.