By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought to distance himself from the arrest of a former top intelligence official, Lt Gen (retired) Faiz Hameed, who was detained by the military on charges of violating the Army Act.
“It is the army’s internal matter, and whatever action the army has taken has nothing to do with the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) or Khan sahib,” the party lawyer, Intezar Panjutha, quoted Khan as saying after meeting him in Adiala Jail near Islamabad.
Khan denied any political relationship with Hameed, stating their association was limited to his tenure as premier and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency chief until October 2021. “We never had a political relationship with General Faiz or anyone. My relationship with him was until October 2021, when he was replaced as ISI chief,” Khan said, according to Panjutha.
The removal of Hameed as ISI chief in 2021 is widely seen as a pivotal factor in the deterioration of relations between Khan and the military establishment. The rift ultimately led to his ousting in April 2022, when he lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament.
The former premier alleged that ex-army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa “replaced him (Hameed as ISI chief) for the sake of his extension in a deal with Nawaz Sharif”. “I only had a professional relationship with General Faiz until he was working under me as the DG ISI, and I had no other association apart from that,” Khan was quoted as saying.
The PTI lawyer reiterated that Imran said if Hameed indeed had any alleged role in the events of May 9, as claimed by many government ministers, then a judicial commission should be set up to determine roles and responsibilities.
The Pakistani military said on Monday that it had held a detailed inquiry against Hameed in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the management of a private Top City housing society accusing him of extortion, land grabbing, and snatching valuables, among other charges.
Multiple instances of violation of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement had also been established against Hameed, apart from the Top City case, the military said, adding that it had started court-martial proceedings against the former general.
Hameed, who served as the ISI chief from June 2019 until October 2021, is widely seen to have been close to Khan, who has been in jail since August on a slew of charges. Many of Khan’s close associates are also in jail, while others claim harassment and intimidation by state agencies, which deny the charge.
Many independent analysts, as well as Khan supporters, believe actions against Hameed may be part of the crackdown against close Khan associates. Khan, who is widely believed to have been propelled to power with the backing of the military in 2018, was ousted in a parliamentary no-trust vote, which he blames was orchestrated by the military in cahoots with his political rivals. Both deny the charge.
Since his ouster, his party has faced a state-backed crackdown that has only seemed to bolster support for Khan and which has been publicized widely on social media, along with unprecedented criticism of the army’s heavy hand in politics. The current military leadership says it no longer interferes in politics.
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