Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the intelligence agencies and the presidency to refrain from interfering in politics.
Announcing his initial ruling on a 16-year-old case, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said one former president, one former army chief, and one former spy chief were involved in rigging national elections in 1990.
He ordered the authorities to launch an investigation against a former head of the military, General Aslam Beg, and a former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, General Asad Durrani.
The court also ordered further criminal investigations into how politicians received government funds from the military officers to manipulate elections in the 1990s.
The ruling is a landmark in Pakistan, where the military is often blamed for derailing democracy through coups and influencing political leaders.
Announcing his initial ruling on a 16-year-old case, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said one former president, one former army chief, and one former spy chief were involved in rigging national elections in 1990.
He ordered the authorities to launch an investigation against a former head of the military, General Aslam Beg, and a former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, General Asad Durrani.
The court also ordered further criminal investigations into how politicians received government funds from the military officers to manipulate elections in the 1990s.
The ruling is a landmark in Pakistan, where the military is often blamed for derailing democracy through coups and influencing political leaders.