Faiz Hameed submits response in Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui's removal case

ISLAMABAD: Former ISI chief Lt.General (r) Faiz Hameed on Monday submitted his response to Supreme Court (SC) in connection with ex-Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Azizi Siddiqui’s petition challenging his removal, ARY News reported.

Supreme Court (SC) had issued notice to former ISI chief Lt.General (r) Faiz Hameed, IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi, former registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad Arif and retired brigadier Irfan Ramay in ex-IHC judge Shaukat Azizi Siddiqui’s petition against his removal.

In his response to Supreme Court’s order, the ex-ISI chief rejected the accusation leveled against him for using his influence in Shaukat Azizi Siddiqui’s removal as IHC judge.

Faiz Hameed denied any meeting with the former IHC judge saying that Siddiqui neither in his speech and nor in judicial council made any mention of the meeting.

He told Supreme Court that he never said “Our two-year efforts will go into waste”. The accusations leveled by Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui are baseless, Faiz added.

The Ex-ISI chief Lt.General (r) Faiz Hameed submitted his reply to Supreme Court through Khawaja Haris.

The former IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi and Brigadier(r) Irfan Ramay also submitted their response to Supreme Court and rejected the accusation leveled against them by the Ex-Judge IHC Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.

On December 15, a five-member bench led by CJP Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan conducted proceedings on the plea of Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui against his removal as IHC judge.

The court proceedings were also broadcast live on the apex court’s website as well as on its YouTube channel.

CJP Qazi Faez Isa remarked if the allegations made by Siddiqui were true, then “these army generals were facilitating someone else.” He asked ex-Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Azizi Siddiqui’s counsel if there was any officer who wanted to become Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018.

CJP observed that Shaukat Siddiqui named former DG ISI Faiz Hameed in the case. “Are you saying whatever happened was done on General (r) Bajwa’s orders.”

Bajwa asked Faiz Hameed to talk to Judge Sahab, about what he wanted, Hameed Khan was quoted as saying to CJP’s query.

Hamid Khan alleged that Fiaz Hameed wanted to keep the former prime minister in jail till the general elections in 2018 to ‘benefit another political party,’ Khan added.

December 14 hearing

At the outset of the hearing on Thursday, CJP Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked the country was heading towards democracy and the apex court was also becoming a democratic institution.

Elaborating his remarks about democracy, CJP Isa said that Justice Tariq and Justice Ijazul Ahsan refused to join the bench, he did not remove anyone from the bench.

Hamid Khan in his remarks said Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui was dismissed after a ‘speech’, which he also read before the SC bench. A reference was also filed against my client in the Faizabad sit-in case.

Jamsheed Dasti and a CDA officer were applicants, Khan said and claimed former ISI chief Faiz Hameed along with another officer visited Shaukat Siddiqui.

At this juncture, CJP asked Hamid Khan why he had not made persons he is alleging as party in the case. It has become a trend to criticise institutions not personalities.

“Every institution has good and bad people, if you are trying to save anyone, please tell,” CJP asked Hamid Khan. We will not allow you to raise allegations against anyone on their back, if you want then nominate them in your plea.

Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s counsel claimed SJC did not allow them to make former ISI chief Faiz Hameed as respondent in the case.

Now you have the chance, why aren’t you making him respondent in the case, CJP remarked and added we will not believe you without hearing to those, who are you accusing.