No role in ousting PML-N govt in 2017, says Faiz Hameed

Former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-General (retd) Faiz Hameed has at last recorded his statement before the Faizabad sit-in commission, saying he held talks with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leaders on the directive of the government, reported 24NewsHD TV channel, quoting its sources.

Faiz Hameed, who had served as the Inter-Services Intelligence director general from 2019 to 2021, recorded his statement before the commission on Thursday and answered questions put forward by its members.

Faiz Hameed denied the impression that he had been part of a conspiracy against the ouster of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in 2017.

Sources told 24News TV channel that in his answers given to the questions asked from him by the commission, the former spymaster said that he had entered into negotiations with the TLP leaders on the government’s instructions.

The sources disclosed that Faiz refuted the allegation that he had conspired to overthrow the then PML-N government.

The commission, which is tasked to probe the Faizabad sit-in, is working under Dr Akhtar Ali Shah. Other members on the bench are ex-IGP Tahir Alam and Khushkhal Khan.

The commission had been formed after the Supreme Court rejected an inquiry committee set up by the government to look into the 2017 sit in.

Former ISI chief was summoned by the commission thrice but he did not show up even once. It was five days ago that he skipped the hearing for the second time.

The commission, therefore, issued the former spy chief another summon through the Defence Ministry in which he was asked to record his statement in the second week of January 2024.

Gen (r) Faiz was summoned to record his statement in the case of the sit-in staged by the TLP at the Faizabad flyover in Islamabad in November 2017 against the amendments in the Election Bill, 2017, changing the word oath to declaration.

Earlier, Joint Director General Intelligence Bureau (IB) Sajid Kiani had on December 19 recorded his three-hour-long statement before the commission wherein he refuted the charge of interference from any other institution during the operation against the TLP.

Reporter: Awais Kiani