Faiz Hamid to be summoned in Faizabad sit-in case
- By Zulqarnain Haider -
- Dec 19, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hamid is likely to be summoned by a three-member commission, constituted to probe identify those who planned, financed, and supported a sit-in at Islamabad’s Faizabad area six years back, ARY News reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
Sources told ARY News that BPS-20 officer Sajid Kayani, who was serving as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Islamabad at that time, recorded his statement before the Faizabad sit-in probe commission.
فیض آباد دھرنا کمیشن کا فیض حمید کو آئندہ چند روز میں طلب کرنے کا فیصلہ#ARYNews pic.twitter.com/AGCVYHIUkn
— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) December 19, 2023
Sajid Kayani responded to a questionnaire provided by the three-member inquiry commission.
Sources claimed that the commission has decided to summon ex-ISI chief Faiz Hamid and former Islamabad Inspector-General (IG) of Police Khalid Khattak.
Read More: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi records statement before Faizabad sit-in commission
The federal government had established this inquiry commission, headed by retired Inspector General Akhtar Ali Shah, in response to the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Fact-Finding Committee report.
Constituted under Section 3 of the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 2017, the commission is led by Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, a former civil servant, who also served as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s police chief.
It also comprises Tahir Alam Khan, also a former police officer, and Khushal Khan, an additional secretary at the Ministry of Interior.
Earlier, Ex-PEMRA chief Absar Alam – in response submitted to Supreme Court – said that former ISI chief Faiz Hamid pressurized the media regulatory authority during Faizabad sit-in.
Absar Alam stated that Ex-ISI chief General retired Faiz Hamid pressurized him to take action against senior journalist Najam Sethi and ban the former US ambassador Husain Haqqani however his demands were not met.
Faizabad sit-in
Back on November 08, 2017, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organized a sit-in at Faizabad interchange against the amendments in the Election Bill 2017, changing the word oath to declaration.
The protesters demanded the resignation of Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid to “protect the identity of the country”.
As a result of the protest, the then PML-N government had to sack its law minister Zahid Hamid. The Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the sit-in on November 21, 2017.
Later, a division bench led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa on February 6, 2019 unveiled its verdict in the sit-in case, criticizing the role of intelligence agencies in the saga.
Soon after assuming office of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) in September this year, Justice Isa listed for hearing the petitions that had been filed against the SC’s February 2019 verdict.
On Nov 1, the bench rejected the fact-finding committee formed by the government to investigate the matter and ordered it to form a commission of inquiry to unveil the mastermind behind the sit-in.