Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Monday claimed former ISI chief Faiz Hameed’s arrest and court martial proceedings were aimed at securing testimony that would lead to his [Khan’s] trial in a military court in cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots.
In an informal interaction with journalists at Adiala Jail, where he remains incarcerated, Khan reiterated that all cases against him were set aside by high courts and any trial in military court would suffer the same fate. He said he was not concerned about Faiz potentially testifying against him, maintaining that CCTV footage of the riots clearly showed who was involved in the violence on May 9, 2023. He stressed that he had repeatedly sought a judicial probe into the unrest, adding that a guilty person would not have made such demands.
The former prime minister alleged the incumbent government was afraid its “theft of the public mandate” would be exposed after the retirement of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa. To a question, he also reiterated his allegations against former Army chief Gen. (retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa, accusing him of “backstabbing” him despite his [Khan’s] full cooperation. He claimed that he had opposed Hameed’s transfer out of the ISI for national security purposes, but Bajwa had ordered it due to an alleged deal between him and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) President Nawaz Sharif.
Reacting to a recent report alleging Hameed had secured the aid of Bushra Bibi to exert influence on Khan, the PTI leader rubbished such claims, adding people claiming the same were shameless.