Senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khawaja Asif, took aim at former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid, on Thursday, stating that “conspirators” hardly acknowledge that they planned plans.
According to sources, the former spy head made his response when he turned in his replies to the panel looking into the 2017 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)-staged infamous Faizabad sit-in.
The government’s acceptance of the majority demands of the party, then led by the late Khadim Hussain Rizvi, brought an end to the almost 20-day demonstration that had closed Faizabad, the key thoroughfare between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
According to the sources, in response to the commission’s questionnaire, the former head of ISI refuted accusations that he had conspired against the previous government.
“Do conspirators ever accept that they hatched a conspiracy?” asked former foreign minister Asif during an interview on the “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath” segment of Geo News.
Asif, who has also held the position of defense minister, said to the host of the program, “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.”
The leading PML-N figure continued by saying that although he had been called by the investigative commission today, his health prevented him from attending. “I will appear before the commission on the next date once I’m better,” he continued.
The investigation committee was established by the interim federal government in November of last year to oversee the execution of the 2019 Faizabad ruling by the Supreme Court.
The investigative panel, led by retired IGP Akhtar Ali Shah, was established by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on its own initiative following the court’s rejection of the government-appointed fact-finding committee report.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa stated on November 15 that the commission would have the authority to call in anyone, including prime ministers, chief justices, and past army chiefs.
On January 22, the inquiry commission must provide its report to the highest court.
Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, was also summoned by the investigative panel on January 3, but he did not show up either. Instead, he asked the commission to send him questions. A 21-point survey has now been emailed to him for him to complete.
The investigative commission had already heard testimony from former prime minister Abbasi, former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, PM Fawad Hasan Fawad’s secretary at the time, and other high officials from Islamabad and Punjab who had ties to the Faizabad dharna incident.
