Faizabad commission report reveals new details about 2017 sit-in

ISLAMABAD: New details have emerged regarding the inquiry commission probing the 2017 Faizabad sit-in, ARY News reported.

The commission in its report said that the common perception was that the sit-in was aimed at destabilising then federal government.

However, then-prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, then-Punjab chief minister – incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif maintained opposite views regarding a conspiracy against the government, the report revealed.

Zahid Hamid, who was serving as law minister in 2017 and then director general of IB Aftab Sultan had also similar views, it added.

The commission also sent a questionnaire to former ISI chief Faiz Hameed. When asked if a state institution was involved in helping stage the Faizabad sit-in, he said that there was no evidence of institutions’ role in the sit-in.

Meanwhile, the report stated that the inquiry commission faced challenges in obtaining records from the relevant departments regarding the sit-in.

Read more: Faizabad commission gives ‘clean chit’ to Faiz Hameed

The Faizabad commission also faced administrative issues including funds and acquiring office premises.

The report revealed that the Home Ministry secretaries were continuously resorting to delaying tactics to provide records.

The commission had sought records from the Home Ministry and the then inspector general (IG) of Punjab, however, it received the records from the Information Ministry and IB.

Citing the obtained records, the Faizabad commission said that a high-level meeting was presided over by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in November 2017.

During the meeting, it was decided to resume talks with the protesters, the report said, adding that General retired Faiz Hameed, with cooperation from the Home Ministry, was made responsible to hold talks with the protesters.

The then director general of Rangers was given overall command of the matters related to the sit-in, the report noted.

On November 8, 2017, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organised a sit-in at Faizabad against the amendments in the Election Bill 2017, changing the word oath to declaration.

The protesters demanded the resignation of the then-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.