Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday held ex-spymaster Faiz Hameed responsible for the ouster of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017, adding that more charges against him were to come soon.
The minister’s remarks come two days after Hameed, in a first, was sentenced to a 14-year jail term after being convicted on four counts related to violating secrecy laws, engaging in political activities, misuse of authority and causing harm to others.
Addressing a press conference in Sialkot, the defence minister said, “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.”
The defence minister assailed the former spymaster, claiming that Nawaz was ousted through a “conspiracy”.
“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,” the defence minister said.
He said that Hameed, along with his “partner” Imran, was responsible for causing “significant damage” to the country. Asif also said that Hameed was “in charge of project Imran”, highlighting the 2018 general elections.
“Faiz was the most important part of that government,” the minister stated.
He said that during PTI’s tenure, the ex-spymaster facilitated the “imprisonment of opponents”.
“He used to threaten and imprison political opponents,” he said, stressing that Imran’s “vision” was materialised through Hameed. The minister also said that Hameed’s main beneficiary was Imran.
The minister termed the period a “shameful” chapter in the country’s history.
The minister alleged that “bringing Imran into power, lodging cases against Nawaz, exiling him, imprisoning his family and his party leaders and workers”, all of it was orchestrated by Hameed.
He went on to say that the former ISI chief “was given the opportunity to govern Pakistan through Imran”.
The minister said that during the ex-spymaster’s tenure, the institution used to “dictate” legislation to parliament.
“Decisions for the country’s future used to be made in the backyard of the prime minister’s house,” he said.
He noted that after Hameed’s transfer, his “project” started to slowly “unravel”. He went on to say that as a corps commander, Hameed continued to facilitate Imran.
He further alleged that Hameed was involved in the violent riots in the country on May 9, 2023.
“It was his planning; people within the institution also played a part, but the manpower was PTI workers,” he said. “It was a joint venture by General Faiz,” he claimed.
At this point, the minister paused to correct himself for calling Hameed a general. “I keep saying general because it has only been four days since his title was revoked,” he said.
He further maintained that the “conspirators attempting to prop up Imran today and bring him back to power, all these seeds were sown by Faiz.”
“These two personalities can not be separated,” he stressed.
Calling the May 9 riots an “attack” on the sanctity of armed forces, he emphasised that the same armed forces had raised the nation’s pride after the operation “Bunyan ul Marsoos” against India in May.
It brought Pakistan international acclaim, the minister said.
“Now imagine, if Faiz and Imran’s plans had succeeded, where would we be today?” he warned.
“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,” he said.
In his concluding remarks, the minister vowed to continue the “process” of accountability, stressing that “Pakistan’s enemies will be held accountable”.
“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,” he said.
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