By Imtiaz Hussain Abro.

Ex-DG ISI Faiz Hamid denies allegations of conspiring against PML-N govt.

Former Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Faiz Hamid, has officially presented his statement to the Faizabad sit-in commission, denying allegations of plotting against the government. Despite being summoned three times by the panel investigating the 2017 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) sit-in, Hamid initially failed to appear. Subsequently, the commission sent him a questionnaire, to which he responded, clarifying that his negotiations with TLP were carried out under the directives of the government.

According to media reports, the commission called the former army officer to appear on January 2, but he did not attend, marking his third absence from the inquiry commission’s hearings. He was initially summoned in mid-December and later on December 29, although the first notice failed to reach him.

The inquiry commission was established by the caretaker federal government in response to the Supreme Court’s 2019 Faizabad verdict. Retired IGP Akhtar Ali Shah heads the commission after the apex court rejected the government-formed fact-finding committee report.

The commission is empowered to summon various individuals, including former army chiefs, prime ministers, and chief justices, and is mandated to submit its report to the Supreme Court by January 22.

In addition, the commission summoned PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on January 3, but he did not appear, requesting the commission to provide him with a questionnaire. He has since been provided with a 21-point questionnaire to respond to.

Previously, individuals such as former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, former PM’s secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad, and other senior officials involved in the incident had appeared before the probe panel.