Faiz Hameed made pact with TLP before showing it to PM, Ahsan told dharna commission

Islamabad: Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal has made a startling revelation in the Faizabad Dharna Commission that former DGC Faiz Hameed had first made a pact with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan before he showed it to then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

In his statement to the commission, Iqbal maintained that when Abbasi was shown the agreement, he objected to the promise of Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid’s resignation and the name of a serving officer on the agreement. However, he was told that the agreement had been made and the government could not renege on it.

Also worth mentioning here is that former interior secretary Arshad Mirza told the commission that when he was called to the PM Secretariat, he witnessed tension between Abbasi and then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif as Shehbaz was in favour of Hamid’s resignation as per the agreement and Abbasi was opposing it.

The former secretary said that the tension between the PM and Punjab CM escalated to such an extent that he felt awkward and left the room.

The commission report also contains the minutes of a meeting chaired by Abbasi on November 22, 2017, in which the civil and military leadership discussed the demand for the minister’s resignation and decided that such resignation should not come because whatever amendment was made to the law, it was made by the parliamentary committee, not the law minister.

The meeting agreed that the resignation could not be defended. According to sources, Faiz Hameed acted in violation of his authority in the entire deal.

Former defence secretary Lt-Gen Ikram ul Haq (retd) told the Faizabad Dharna Commission that in the absence of solid evidence, it was not possible to act against any service member on charge of involvement in politics, organising the sit-in or influencing the 2018 election results.

The former secretary stated before the commission the ministry complied with the Supreme Court’s orders and had written to the three services chiefs to proceed against those officials of the forces who were involved in politics in violation of their oath, adding the apex court’s order did not specifically point out any official with proof.

He told the commission an appeal had been filed with the apex court against certain observations in its decision. He was responding to the commission’s query as to what action had been taken against the defence officials or sections involved in politics or support to a political party to comply with the apex court’s instructions.

Headed by a retired senior police officer Akhtar Ali Shah, the three-member Faizabad Dharna Commission comprised of Islamabad IGP Tahir Alam and additional secretary of interior ministry Khushal Khan.

Ikram stated that no specific task was assigned to the Ministry of Defence in the Faizabad sit-in, adding a detailed report had been submitted by the ISI in the suo motu case in compliance with the instructions of the Supreme Court.

The former defence secretary stated the ISI facilitated the talks with the TLP on the instructions of the government, adding the then ISI DGC Faiz Hameed did not violate any law or SOP. Due to negotiations, the protestors ended the sit-in, Ikram added.