By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday accused former spy chief Faiz Hameed of masterminding the 2017 ouster of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and engineering the rise of Imran Khan, linking the jailed general to a broad conspiracy that damaged the country.
Asif’s comments came two days after Hameed became the first former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to be sentenced to 14 years in prison following a 15-month court martial on charges of violating secrecy laws, engaging in political activities, misusing authority and causing harm to others.
Speaking at a news conference in the eastern city of Sialkot, Asif said Hameed had supervised a plot to remove Sharif, file cases against him and install Khan as prime minister in 2018.”The removal of Nawaz, the cases lodged against him, the allegations, and Imran’s coming into power, this whole project was enacted under the supervision of Faiz Hameed,” Asif said.
He described Hameed as “in charge of project Imran”, adding that the former ISI director-general had been “the most important part of that government” during Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration. Asif alleged Hameed, working with his “partner” Khan, had caused “significant damage” to Pakistan by threatening and imprisoning political opponents, orchestrating Sharif’s exile and jailing his family members, party leaders and workers. “He used to threaten and imprison political opponents,” Asif said, adding that Khan’s “vision” had been materialised through Hameed, who was the main beneficiary’s enabler.
The minister called the era a “shameful” chapter in Pakistan’s history, saying Hameed had been “given the opportunity to govern Pakistan through Imran” and that the intelligence agency under him had “dictate(d)” legislation to parliament. “Decisions for the country’s future used to be made in the backyard of the prime minister’s house,” Asif said. Even after Hameed’s transfer from the ISI, Asif said, he continued facilitating Khan as a corps commander.
The minister further accused Hameed of planning the violent May 9, 2023, riots that targeted military sites. “It was his planning; people within the institution also played a part, but the manpower was PTI workers,” Asif said. “It was a joint venture by General Faiz.” Pausing to correct himself, Asif added: “I keep saying general because it has only been four days since his title was revoked.”
He portrayed the riots as an “attack” on the armed forces’ sanctity, contrasting it with the military’s role in Operation Bunyan ul Marsoos against India in May, which he said had brought Pakistan international acclaim and elevated the nation’s pride. “Now imagine, if Faiz and Imran’s plans had succeeded, where would we be today?” Asif said. “God forbid, if the Faiz-Imran nexus still existed, perhaps there would not have been a need for war at all since they would have ensured the country’s destruction from the inside.”
Asif alleged “conspiratorial elements” were still trying to return Khan to power, with “all these seeds … sown by Faiz.” He stressed the two men were inseparable, adding: “These two personalities can not be separated.” The minister vowed to extend accountability to “Pakistan’s enemies,” including “hidden facilitators within bureaucracy and other institutions” who supported such actions. “Those who have put the country’s future at stake for power can not be considered Pakistanis. Whether they are in uniform like Faiz or in a waistcoat and Peshawari sandals like Imran.”
Asif noted Hameed’s conviction followed a thorough Field General Court Martial process, not rushed, and said more charges against him were forthcoming. “A former head of ISI has been convicted in a trial that ran for 15 months; there are still other charges on which legal proceedings will be initiated soon,” he said. The military’s Inter-Services Public Relations directorate confirmed Hameed’s conviction on four counts: political involvement, breaching the Official Secrets Act in a way harmful to state security, abusing power and resources, and inflicting wrongful loss on individuals.
Asif described the May 9 unrest, during which military installations and martyrs’ memorials were desecrated, as part of a “larger pattern of conspiracies” orchestrated by Hameed for Khan’s benefit.” The planning and strategy behind May 9 came from Faiz Hamid, while the manpower involved was that of PTI,” he said. The minister asserted that Khan had engaged in political victimisation through Hameed, who “would reportedly threaten Imran’s political rivals.”
“Faiz played a dangerous game with the country, benefiting both himself and Imran,” Asif said, adding that Khan was brought to power via “manipulation and threats. “During PTI’s four-year rule, Asif said, Khan “played with the country’s future under the supervision of the former ISI chief.” “If their alliance had continued, who knows how much more damage could have been done. These people have acted against Pakistan, and it is necessary to bring them to account,” he said.
Khan, ousted in a 2022 no-confidence vote, remains in jail on multiple charges, while his PTI party has denied involvement in conspiracies or the May 9 violence.
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