Reports of ex-ISI head joining PTI ‘untrue’, says Fawad

Published June 27, 2022
A file photo of former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry. — DawnNewsTV
A file photo of former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry. — DawnNewsTV

ISLAMABAD: Retired Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, former head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), remained in the media spotlight on Sunday after reports surfaced that he had apparently waded into the political sphere and ‘joined’ a political party.

However, Gen Islam has not commented on these reports so far.

On Sunday, journalist Saleem Safi posted a picture of the former DG ISI on his Twitter account, where the latter could be seen standing at a podium — ostensibly while delivering a speech at a political event — that was emblazoned with the flag of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Several commenters assumed that the former general had waded into politics and announced his support for PTI, however, the party’s information secretary has dispelled this impression.

Talking to Dawn, Fawad Chaudhry said Gen Islam had participated in a political event in support of a PTI candidate in the upcoming Punjab Assembly by-polls.

The candidate he is said to have been supporting is Shabbir Awan, who is running for MPA from the PP-7 (Rawalpindi) constituency.

Mr Chaudhry told Dawn there was no truth to rumours that Gen Islam had joined the PTI, adding that he was merely expressing support for a PTI candidate who happened to be a relative of the retired general.

It is worth noting that Gen Islam remained ISI chief from March 2012 to Nov 2014. During this time, it was speculated that he had provided tacit support to the PTI during their sit-in outside parliament and remained a part of negotiations held to try and seek a peaceful resolution of the sit-in.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...
Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...