Faizabad commission: Gen Faiz says didn’t conspire against govt

ISLAMABAD: Former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed has recorded his statement before the Faizabad sit-in commission, denying allegations of conspiring against the government, sources told Geo News Thursday.

The former spymaster was summoned by the panel — investigating the 2017 sit-in staged by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) — thrice but he failed to appear before it.

He was then sent a questionnaire by the commission to which he responded and stated that he held negotiations with the TLP on the directions of the government.

According to the sources, the commission had summoned the former army officer on January 2 (Tuesday) but he didn’t appear before the panel.

This was the third time that the former ISI chief remained absent from the hearing being conducted by the inquiry commission, which earlier summoned him in the second week of December last year and then on December 29, sources said. However, the first notice couldn’t be delivered.

In November last year, the caretaker federal government constituted the inquiry commission for the implementation of the Supreme Court’s 2019 Faizabad verdict.

The probe panel was constituted on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan under the chair of retired IGP Akhtar Ali Shah after the apex court rejected the fact-finding committee report constituted by the government.

On November 15, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked that the commission would be empowered to summon anyone, including former army chiefs, prime ministers, and chief justices.

The inquiry commission is required to submit its report to the top court on January 22. The probe panel had also summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on January 3 but he too didn’t appear and requested the commission to send him questions.

He has now been sent a 21-point questionnaire to answer. Earlier, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, then-secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad, and other senior officials serving in Islamabad and Punjab who were involved in the episode had appeared before the probe panel. In a jibe at the former ISI chief, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif said that “conspirators” hardly admit that they hatched plots.

Talking on Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, former foreign minister Asif said: “Do conspirators ever accept that they hatched a conspiracy”.

“In 2017, our party’s prime minister [Shahid Khaqan Abbasi] was in office, but it was ‘their’ government and they had staged the sit-in,” Asif, who has also served as the defence minister, told the show’s host.

The top PML-N leader added that the probe commission had summoned him today, but given his health, he was unable to appear before it. “Once I’m better, I will appear before the commission on the next date,” he added.