IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN
(Original Jurisdiction)
Present:
Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, HCJ
Mr. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain
Mr. Justice Tariq Parvez
Human Rights Case No.19 of 1996
[APPLICATION BY AIR MARSHAL (R)
MUHAMMAD ASGHAR KHAN]
Air Marshal (R) Muhammad Asghar Khan Petitioner
VERSUS
1. Gen(R) Mirza Aslam Baig,
Ex-Chief of Army Staff;
2. Lt. Gen(R) Asad Durrani, Ex-DG, ISI; and
3. Younas Habib,
Ex-Chief Mehran Bank Limited. Respondents
For the Petitioner : Mr. Salman Akram Raja, ASC a/w
Petitioner
For Respondent No.1 : Mr. M. Akram Sheikh, [Link] a/w
Respondent No.1
For Respondent No. 2 : In person.
For Respondent No.3 : In person.
For Defence Ministry : Raja Abdul Ghafoor, AOR
Comdr. M. Hussain Shahbaz,
Director (Legal)
For Applicant : Sheikh Khizar Hayat, [Link]
(in CMA.918/97)
Date of Hearing : 08.03.2012
ORDER
In obedience to order dated 29.02.2012, the office has
placed on record a sealed envelop under the cover “TOP
SECRETE” “REPORT OF THE COMMISSION TO REVIEW
THE WORKING OF SECURITY & INTELLIGENCE
Human Rights Case No.19 of 1996 2
AGENCIES”. The envelop has been opened in Court, which
contains four folders Part-II (Report of the Commission to Review
the Working of Security & Intelligence Agencies (MARCH –
1989); Part-III (Correspondence); again Part-II (photocopy of the
same report of the Commission (March-1989); and again Part-III
(Correspondence).
2. A perusal of the same indicates that the Report of the
Commission to Review the Working of Security & Intelligence
Agencies has not been filed. However, Comdr. Muhammad
Hussain Shahbaz, Director (Legal), representing Ministry of
Defence, is allowed to go through these documents in the office of
Registrar of this Court, who shall facilitate him in this behalf. He
is directed to file the requisite reports pertaining to the year 1990
as well as up-to-date reports on the Working of Security &
Intelligence Agencies. In the interest of nation, these documents
shall be kept CONFIDENTIAL.
3. The envelop produced before us has been given to Mr.
Rafaqat Hussain, CA/Branch Incharge, Civil-II, who shall
handover the same to Registrar of this Court, who shall put them
under seal.
4. Another envelop has been produced, which contains
the following items:-
“Item No.1
1. 2 Audio Cassettes relating to HRC.19/1996 containing
detail, as under:-
Cassette No.1: Dated 20.11.1997 timings 10.30 to
11.00 a.m.
Human Rights Case No.19 of 1996 3
Cassette No.2: Dated 25.11.1997 timing, 10 am to 11
am and 11.30 to 1.00 pm. (side A)
dated 26.11.1997 timings 11:45 am to
1:15 pm (side B)
Item No.2
File No.1: Consisting 3 pages in original
Page No.1:
(Note dated 28.5.1999 of the then Additional
Registrar with regard to obtaining the orders of HJ (1)
whether Lt. General ® Nasirullah Babar and Lt.
General ® Asad Durrani may be asked to read their
statements and sign them in the presence of an officer
of this Court).
Page No.2
Note dated 1.6.1999 regarding submission of un-
signed statements/cross-examination of Maj. ® Nasir
Ullah Babar and Lt. General Asad Durrani to the
then HJ(1)
Page No.3
Order dated 2.6.1999 of Justice Said-uz-Zaman
Siddiqui
File No.2 in original
Srl. Detail Pages
Nos. (All in original)
1 Cross examination of Maj. Gen.(R) Nasir 1-3
Ullah Babar by Genl. Mirza Aslam Baig
2 Explanation of Gen Babar with regard to his 4
cross examination
3 Cross examination of Maj. Gen. (R) Nasir 5-9
Ullah Babar by Habib-ul-Wahab-ul-Khairi
(in Urdu)
4 Cross examination of Maj. Gen. (R) Nasir 10-21
Ullah Babar by Mr. Muhammad Akram
Sheikh.
5 Cross examination of Lt. Gen.(R) Asad 22-25
Durrani
6 Cross examination of Lt. Gen.(R) Asad 26-33
Durrani by Habib-ul-Wahab-ul-Khairi
7 Cross examination of Lt. Gen.(R) Asad 34-35
Durrani by Maj. Gen.(R) Naseer Ullah
Babar
Item No.3
Copy No.08 of 11 Copies:-
Folder with regard to the report of the commission to
review the working of Security and Intelligence
Agencies (March-1989) submitted by (i). Air Chief
Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Chairman, (ii). S.K.
Mahmud, Secretary Interior, Member, (iii). Mr.
M.A.K. Chaudhry, Member and (iv) Air Commodore
Muhammad Yamin, Secretary. (Pages 1-57).
Item No.4
ADO letter [Link]/1/89 dated 27.3.1989 addressed to
the Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of
Pakistan, Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Rawalpindi by
the Air Chief Marshal, Zulfiqar Ali Khan along with
its synopsis of the Commissioner’s Report for facility
of reference. (Pages 1-8)”.
5. The office has also made efforts to find out as to
whether examination-in-chief of Gen.(R) Naseer Ullah Khan
Human Rights Case No.19 of 1996 4
Babar and Lt. Gen.(R) Asad Durrani was recorded; according to
the report, no such document is available on record. However,
Mr. Salman Akram Raja, learned ASC, appearing for the
petitioner, states that they were subjected to cross-examination
on the affidavits, which have already been filed. As these
proceedings were drawn in camera, therefore, the same be sealed
and are handed over to Mr. Rafaqat Hussain for depositing the
same with the Registrar. As regards proceedings drawn by the
office of Registrar to locate these documents, the same are also
made part of the record and are ordered to be deposited with the
Registrar.
6. In pursuance of order dated 29.02.2012, Mr. Younas
Habib, Ex-Chief of Ex-Mehran Bank Limited, has appeared and
stated that earlier at the time when the proceedings were
conducted in this case no statement was filed by him. It seems
that might be he had filed or given statement before the
investigating agencies under Section 161, [Link] in connection
with some criminal cases against him, as reference of the same is
available at page 220 of the file. However, today he has placed on
record a handwritten statement/affidavit, which was not sworn
on oath, although such statement or affidavit is required to be
sworn under Supreme Court Rules, 1980. It seems that as he is a
sick person and attending the Court on Wheelchair, therefore, we
accept the affidavit and direct the office to manage attestation of
the same, which has been done.
Human Rights Case No.19 of 1996 5
7. Initially, Mr. Younas Habib claimed that the affidavit
filed by him be considered as a classified document. However, on
having gone through the same we are of the opinion that it does
not fall within the category of the documents, in respect whereof
privilege could be claimed, thus the same is declared not to be the
classified one. He has read out the contents of the affidavit in
Court and also handed over three copies of the same along with a
photograph wherein he has been shown to be one of the persons
along with the then President of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan
(Late) and uniformed officer of Pakistan Army having
conversation with Mirza Aslam Baig, Ex-Chief of Army Staff. The
same be also kept on record.
8. The office is directed to prepare photostat copies of
the affidavit filed by Mr. Younas Habib and handover the same to
Mr. Muhammad Akram Sheikh, learned [Link], Mr. Salman
Akram Raja, learned ASC; Mr. Asad Durrani and Sheikh Khizar
Hayat, learned [Link]. They may go through the same and if
desire or instructed may opt to file their replies to the same by
tomorrow i.e. 09.03.2012.
Re-list on 09.03.2012.
Chief Justice
Judge
Judge
ISLAMABAD
08.03.2012
Zubair
