Faizabad commission seeks a month-extension to complete probe

ISLAMABAD: The commission constituted to investigate the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) sit-in staged at Faizabad Interchange in Islamabad in 2017, has sought a month-extension from Supreme Court (SC) to complete the probe, ARY News reported on Monday.

According to details, the commission submitted a formal request to Supreme Court (SC), seeking a month-extension to complete the probe and identify those who planned, financed, and supported the sit-in six years back.

Meanwhile, the commission also summoned former Defense Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Syed Zameer-ul-Hassan, former DG Rangers Major Gen (retd) Azhar Nadeem, and former interior secretary Major (retd) Azam Suleman.

Furthermore, it again summoned former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and former defence minister Khawaja Asif. The inquiry commission issued the summon notices for January 9 and 10.

Earlier on Jan 5, former director general ISI retired Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed submitted a written response to the inquiry commission.

On the other hand, Shehbaz Sharif has requested the commission to provide him a questionnaire so that he could come before it with preparation.

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.