ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to submit details of secret funds and their utilisation on the next date of hearing Friday (June 28).

The directives were issued by a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman during the hearing of case pertaining to IB secret funds utilised in the past to topple political governments.

The apex court had taken up the allegations levelled in an English daily, accusing the PPP government of drawing Rs270m to dislodge the Punjab government in 2008-09. The news item “Govt withdrew millions from Intelligence Bureau’s accounts” was published on March 14 last year. It said that former IB chief Dr Shoaib Suddle confirmed that the money had been taken from the IB’s secret fund and that when he brought the issue to the notice of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani he kept quiet for political reasons.

The newspaper also accused the PPP government of drawing Rs400m between 1988 and 1990 to buy loyalty of parliamentarians to defeat a no-confidence motion against it, to win elections in Azad Kashmir and to remove the provincial government in the then NWFP to install Aftab Sherpao as chief minister.

During the course of hearing, the chief justice questioned whether the funds were used in national interest or not. Had the funds used for a good purpose and in the national interest then there should have not been any objection, he added.

The deputy attorney general apprised the court that the audit of IB's secret funds was carried out by the secretary cabinet division, who then provided the audit report to the auditor general of Pakistan and the director general IB.

The bench was not satisfied with the reply, observing that had the agency officials performed their duties diligently, the law and order situation in the country would have been different from that of today.

Referring to the situation in the port city of Karachi, the chief justice remarked that if there was an effective intelligence sharing, everyday incidents of violence, killing and unrest would not have been taking place.

The bench directed the attorney general of Pakistan to ensure his presence on Friday (June 28).