ISLAMABAD - Former federal minister Abida Hussain on Monday denied the allegations of receiving money from the Inter-Services Intelligence during the 1990 general election.

TThe allegations contained in the affidavit of Lt-Gen (retd) Asad Durrani are incorrect and are denied. The Answering Respondent (Abida Hussain) did not receive money as alleged,” she said in a two-sentence reply submitted to the top court.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has been hearing the Asghar Khan case. On June 6, the chief justice issued notices and directed all the politicians accused of receiving money including deposed premier Nawaz Sharif to submit their written replies in the case.

In 1996, the late Air Marshal Asghar Khan had filed a human rights petition in the apex court, accusing the ISI of doling out money to a number of parties and individuals in the 1990s.

He had moved the petition after the former interior minister late Gen (retd) Naseerullah Babar disclosed in the National Assembly in 1994 that the ISI had disbursed funds to buy the loyalty of politicians and public figures to manipulate the 1990 elections to bring about the defeat of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Sixteen years after the filing of the petition, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1990 elections were polluted by dishing out Rs140 million to a particular group of politicians only to deprive the people of being represented by their chosen representatives.

In a verdict, penned by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the top court had thrown the ball back to the then PPP government by directing it to take necessary legal action against former army chief Gen (retd) Aslam Beg and former ISI director-general Asad Durrani for their role in the whole affair.

As no action was taken by the government, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 2017 announced filing a plea in the Supreme Court to seek implementation of the orders of the already decided case. The apex court is now hearing the implementation case.

On June 9, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Quaid Nawaz Sharif and the Jamat-e-Islami denied the allegations of receiving millions of rupees from the ISI.

Sharif in his two-page reply had stated that he never received Rs3.5 million from Durrani as “donation” to spend on the election campaign in the general election of 1990.

 “Similarly, no amount in the sum of Rs3.5 million and Rs2.5 million was given to Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by Younus Habib and/or under his instructions,” Sharif’s reply had said.

The reply had further stated that Sharif had already recorded his statement in 2015 in an FIA inquiry pertaining to the matter carried out on the orders of the apex court.

The JI in its two-page reply also denied the allegations of receiving Rs5 million.

The JI reply said the allegation of receiving donations/amounts in general election held in the year 1990, are false. “No amount, whatsoever, or of any kind, was ever received by the JI from the ISI or any other organization,” it added.

The JI chief had informed the top court that his party was ready to join the investigation through either a commission or any other forum to rebut the allegations.