Neither met ex-judge Siddiqui nor talked about Nawaz’s appeals: Faiz

ISLAMABAD: Former director general Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed Monday submitted his reply to the Supreme Court rejecting the allegations levelled by the Islamabad High Court former judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of manipulating the judicial proceedings during the Panama Papers case.

He rejected the accusations of influencing the judiciary as “absolutely false, frivolous, concocted and based on an afterthought,” stating that he never contacted Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, met with him, or discussed appeals by Nawaz Sharif in the court.

Faiz said Siddiqui did not mention any meeting with him in his statement or to the Supreme Judicial Council. He denied saying, “Our two years of hard work would go to waste”, adding that all allegations of the top judge were baseless and unfounded.

IHC former chief justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi also submitted his response to the Supreme Court rejecting Siddiqui’s allegations. In addition, Brigadier (retd) Irfan Ramay’s reply has also been submitted to the top court, in which he denies the allegations against him and meeting Siddiqui.

Contrary to Faiz Hameed’s reply, Siddiqui claims he’s concrete evidence of two meetings with Gen (R) Faiz Hameed at his official residence in 2018. Talking to The News, Siddiqui says he not only has a list of witnesses but also material evidence to prove his allegation that the then DG (C) ISI Maj Gen Faiz Hameed twice visited him when he was the senior serving judge.

Siddiqui says if required, he can furnish the evidence with the Supreme Court, which is presently hearing an appeal against his dismissal by the Supreme Judicial Council in Oct 2018. Referring to the replies of Gen (R) Faiz and others submitted to the Supreme Court in his case, he says the replies which deny his allegations prove the point that he was dismissed from service by the SJC without inquiring about the matter.

Siddiqui says a day after his address to the Rawalpindi Bar Association on July 22nd, he had formally approached the then chief justice Saqib Nisar requesting him to constitute a commission to probe the authenticity and truthfulness of what he had alleged in the address.

“If an independent commission holds that there’s no reality in the facts presented in the meeting of District Bar Association Rawalpindi, I am ready to face the consequences, but at the same time I have a right to enquire that if my presented facts proved correct, what would be the fate of those persons, be they the serving army personnel who are involved in manipulating the judicial system,” reads his letter written to the then CJP.

He also requested Saqib Nisar to issue directions for open proceedings of the probe by such a commission so that the media, civil society and legal fraternity could attend the inquiry. Siddiqui, in the same letter, lamented, “It is a matter of concern that the independence of my institution has been compromised by the intervention of few individuals of the prestigious institution of Army and its allied agencies. On different occasions, I pointed out this intervention as a result of which I am facing reference along-with another fabricated reference.”

“The executive body of District Bar Association, through its President, invited me to address the bar on 21st of July 2018 and I being member of the same bar accepted the invitation,” he told the CJP, adding, “During my address, I presented certain prevailing facts, relevant to the applicability of Constitution, rule of law, independence of bar and Bench and dispensation of Justice. It appeared that facts divulged by me did not please some corners, therefore; a false and malicious campaign was launched on social and electronic media. I came to know through social media and the press release of the PRO of the Honourable Supreme Court that your lordships also expressed instant annoyance without verification of facts presented by me. It is noted that such outbursts of anger from your lordship against me are not new and unusual.” Later, no commission was constituted but Siddiqui was dismissed by the SJC without inquiring into the matter.