COMPLETE VERSION OF CONFIDENTIAL AFFIDAVIT (PARA 1-14) SUBMITTED TO SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN BY BRIGADIER (RETD) HAMID SAEED AKHTAR, FORMER MILITARY INTELLIGENCE CHIEF IN SINDH PROVINCE WHO CONFESSED TO HAVE BRIBED POLITICIANS IN 1990 TO RIG ELECTIONS AND PREVENT BENAZIR BHUTTO FROM RETURNING TO POWER. [NAMES OF BRIBE
D POLITICIANS IN SINDH LISTED]
TEXT BEGINS(RE-TYPED VERSION):
1. In 1990 I was commanding an Artillery Brigade in D.I Khan, In the same year following an indigenous uprising of Kashmiris in the Indian held Kashmir, both India and Pakistan deployed their forces in the border areas. My brigade had just reached the border area when I received the orders to join regional office of Military Intelligence in Karachi. I talked to the Corps Commander and submitted that I wished to be with my troops during combat. I further pleaded that I had no intelligence background or formal training. Corps Commander advised that my services are very urgently required at Karachi to control the deteriorating security situation in Sindh. Accordingly, I reported to my new duty station and assumed command w.e.f 23 July 1990.
2. At that time MQM had recently fallen apart from the ruling political party (PPP). PPP workers had resorted to taking revenge from MQM for their political betrayal through the use of force. MQM reacted even more violently, through their armed political workers. PPP, MQM, PPI, JI and JSM activists were relentlessly killing each other. The daily death toll was 100-110 besides countless left wounded and incapacitated. PSF, APMSO, IJT and JSQM had taken prisoners the activists from their rivals and committed horrendous and inhuman atrocities on them e.g drilling holes in knee joints with the drill machines and burning their delicate parts with electric soldering machines. I immediately held meetings with Mr. Tariq Azeem, Dr. Imran Farooq and Mr. Saleem Shahzad of MQM, Prof. Ghafoor of JI, Dr. Hameeda Khoro and Mr. Mumtaz Bhutto JSF, Abdul Wahid Aresar of JSQM and Mukhtar Awan of PPI and gave them strong message that if they did not stop killing, arson and looting, army may be forced to step in to restore peace.
3. Initially the belligerent forces denied their involvement in the unlawful activities, however when irrefutable evidence of their crimes was produced, they took the advice more seriously. Following were the visible effects of intelligence intervention on security situation: (A) Within one week killing reduced drastically from 100-110 to 20-30 per day, (B) Exchange of prisoners of the belligerent sides was arranged and the exchange took place in Karachi Corp Headquarters.
4. All the above was achieved through negotiations and dialogue, not a single bullet was fired, nobody was kept in illegal confinement and no torture was committed to extract information. The importance of my primary task i.e intelligence and counter intelligence far outweighed my involvement in the internal security matters but at that time internal security had assumed greater importance.
5. Soon after, the provincial government launched a police operation against Muhajior populace residing in Pucca Qila Hyderabad on a day when PM, COAS and Karachi Corps Commander were on a tour abroad and army units were out on annual exercise. In this operation police killed dozens of men, women and children. The matter was reported to higher echelons. The President Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan ordered the army to move in and stop this carnage. Station Commander Hyderabad gathered about three hundred soldiers from the personnel left behind for guard duties and reached the site. On his intervention the police force withdrew. PM Benazir Bhutto on her return to Pakistan gave a press statement that army had supplied POF made weapons to Muhajirs. Police had besieged Pucca Qila to recover these weapons. When police force was about to reach the cache in Pucca Qila, army stepped in and took away the weapons in military vehicles. Everybody was shocked by this statement.
6. After this mahem, MRC (Muhajir Rabita Committee) gave a press statement that they (Muhajirs) were being forced to look towards India for protection of their rights. India readily responded to the call by stating that Muhajirs were India’s ex-citizens and India was obliged to ensure their safety and protection against state terrorism and genocide.Such statements reminded one of the Indian interventions in former East Pakistan, which finally resulted in the dismemberment of our country.
7. Earlier that year the PM had also publicly criticized the army for crossing the red line by enriching uranium to the levels which were not acceptable to big powers. She also gave an interview to BBC in which she mentioned of her support to India in crushing Khalistan movement. Sometime later the PM also criticized the army for conducting annual exercise in the Sindh province without her consent. ISPR had to clarify through a press release that under the law COAS was not obliged to seek anyone’s permission for conducting training exercises in any part of the country. All such incidents were reported by the press media.
8. During the same year, the government also gave attractive jobs to the Al-zulfiqar activists in Railways, PIA, Customs, KPT, Immigration, Exercise and Taxation and other sensitive departments, thus endangering national security. These activists of AZO had been imparted proper training by India, in sabotage, arson, bomb blasts, mass killings and other acts of terrorism. The authentic record of these terrorists was available with all the intelligence agencies. All these matters were reported to higher ups through normal command channels.
9. General perception of the common man was that the ruling party had got the votes but lacked the vision to run the country. Something appeared to be in the offing. On 16th August 1990 [ACTUAL DATE IS 06 AUG 90], President Ghulam Ishaque Khan dissolved the PPP government, using power under article 58 (2)b. In Sindh an interim government was formed under Jam Sadiq Ali as the Chief Minister. (A) On 12 September 1990, DG MI major General Muhammad Asad Durrani visited Karachi and gave following orders to me.(B) Open six accounts in different banks and send me the title and number of each account. (C) Keep on monitoring these accounts. Some funds shall be deposited in these accounts from time to time. You will keep me updated regarding the balance in each account on weekly basis.
10. All transactions in these accounts shall be treated as secret. You will be personally accountable to me for their accounting. And no information in this regard shall be shared with any unauthorized person. Services of grade 1 staff officer may be used for opening and handling of these accounts.
11. In compliance with these directions six accounts were opened in different banks. Funds started pouring in from 16 September 1990 onwards.By 22nd October 1990 Rs. 140 million had been received in these accounts. Thereafter following amounts were remitted as ordered by DGMI:-
a. Rs. 40 Million to GHQ account
b. Rs. 10.5 Million to regional office of MI Quetta
c. Rs. 5 Million to interim PM Mr. Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi
d. Rs. 5 Million to interim CM Sindh Mr. Jam Sadiq Ali
e. Rs. 2.5 Million to Mr. Muhammad Khan Junejo
f. Rs. 3 Million to Mr. Abdul Hafeez Pirzada
g. Rs. 2 Million to Mr. Sibghat Ullah Pir sahib Pagara
h. Rs. 0.3 Million to Mr. Muzaffar Hussain Shah
i. Rs. 0.3 Million to Mr. Akbar Ali Nizamani
j. Rs. 0.3 Million to Mr. Ghulam Ali Nizamani
k. Rs. 0.2 Million to Mr. Ghulam Arbab Rahim
l. Rs. 0.3 Million to Mr. Salah-ud-Din (Takbeer)
m. Rs. 0.5 Million to Mr. Yousaf Haroon
n. Rs. 3,828,000/- to Sindh Regiment Center and also used for construction of men’s living barracks, interrogation cells, cook house and Kotes etc.
12. The remaining balance of Rs. 67, 628,511/- including interest was later on sent to GHQ along with up-to-dated Bank statements. I would like to state that during my service with the Military Intelligence, I was of the opinion that the funds were coming from the GHQ.
13. In 1991 I learnt through news media that one Mr. Younas Habib had been arrested for fraud in habib Bank Ltd. At that occasion general Durrani rang me up to explore the possibility of having him bailed out. He said that COAS had desired to have him bailed out because because he had been helpful in doing a work of national importance. I showed him my inability to do so because the case was sub judice. In September 1991, I was posted out from MI to Kharian.
14. In 1994, during the second tenure of PPP government when Gen. Durrani gave an affidavit to the court and the matter became public, I for the first time learnt through the news media that these funds were stated to have been provided by Mr. Younas Habib.
SIGNED
Brigadier (retd) Hamid Saeed Akhtar
18 Oct 2012
