PTI founder welcomes army’s initiation of internal accountability

RAWALPINDI: In the wake of former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General (retired) Faiz Hamid’s recent arrest by the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has distanced himself from the retired general.

Speaking to journalists at Adiala Jail, Khan stated, “I have no connection with General (retired) Faiz.” He added, “If the military wants to hold General Faiz accountable, it should proceed; this is an internal matter for the army.”

Khan welcomed the army’s initiation of internal accountability, emphasizing the need for the process to be fair and comprehensive.

Addressing questions about his previous interactions with the former spymaster, the 72-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician explained that during his tenure as prime minister, he opposed removing General Faiz from his position amid the regime change in Afghanistan.

General Faiz was then actively involved with the Afghan government and the Taliban, having facilitated meetings between Khan, the US envoy on Afghanistan’s peace process Zalmay Khalilzad, and Taliban representatives.

Khan noted that General Faiz had maintained good relations with the Taliban and had continued negotiations with them for three years, making him a valuable asset to the country. However, he lamented that this asset was squandered.

Khan also revealed that he had clashed with former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa over the removal of General Faiz, which he claimed Bajwa pursued to secure his extension.

“I repeatedly asked Bajwa not to remove Faiz, but my requests were ignored,” he said.

Khan further accused General Bajwa of toppling his government to secure his extension, holding him responsible for the increase in terrorism in the country.

Responding to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement that the former spymaster was involved in the May 9 riots, Khan called for an inquiry to determine if the retired general was behind the violent protests.

Khan also claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif had demanded Faiz’s removal as a condition.

On August 12, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the former ISI chief had been “taken into custody” over accusations of land grabbing and seizing valuables from a private housing society owner.

Earlier this week, the army’s media wing stated, “Following orders from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a thorough court of inquiry was conducted by the Pakistan Army to verify complaints against Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hamid in the Top City Case.”

The army’s media wing also confirmed that court-martial proceedings have begun against the former ISI chief over complaints related to the Top City Case.

Additionally, three more retired officers were taken into military custody on Thursday in connection with the same housing scheme case.