• Information minister says scope of probe against Faiz will be widened, urges other institutions to follow military’s example of ‘self-accountability’
• Imran claims ex-ISI chief’s transfer to Peshawar corps was ‘part of conspiracy’ against his govt
• PML-N senator says talks with PTI only if it shows seriousness

ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday accused PTI founder Imran Khan of masterminding a political conspiracy, along with a retired general and other characters, to sow anarchy and disharmony in the country, with the information minister hinting that the ambit of the probe against Gen Faiz Hameed and his other “co-conspirators” would be widened in days to come.

Meanwhile, just days after distancing himself from the former spymaster, who is currently facing court martial proceedings, Mr Khan seemed to endorse claims that he and the retired general were close, saying the latter’s transfer to the Peshawar corps was part of the conspiracy hatched against the PTI government.

In a presser on Saturday, the infor­ma­tion minister said that in the wake of Gen Faiz Hameed’s arrest, the army has conducted transparent investigations as they have their own mechanism of internal accountability, adding that they believed in self-accountability.

Referring to the arrests made in this regard, and hinting at further action in the days to come, the information minister claimed that Imran Khan had conspired with these people to spread anarchy in the country.

“This was a political alliance, led by the PTI founder, which was linked with Gen Faiz and other accomplices,” he said, adding that the ambit of the investigation would definitely widen.

“No matter if someone is Saqib or Nisar, things will proceed transparently,” he said, referring to former CJP Saqib Nisar, who the PML-N accuses of propping up the PTI regime and targeting their political opponents.

Mr Tarar alleged that evidence was surfacing, which showed that the PTI founder was “in contact” with these conspirators — at the time of the vote of no-confidence, and even after his incarceration — and his messaging continued back-and-forth with this “unholy political alliance”.

He stressed that other institutions should also practice the same self-accountability that the army had demonstrated.

Faiz’s transfer ‘plot against PTI’

Meanwhile, talking to media persons after the hearing of the £190m corruption case in Adiala jail, Imran Khan said he believed the transfer of retired Gen Faiz Hameed from his post as head of Inter-Services Intelli­gence to Peshawar corps commander was part of a conspiracy hatched to topple his regime.

Mr Khan claimed that this was done by former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, at the behest of Nawaz Sharif.

He maintained that the PTI was still demanding a judicial inquiry into the incidents of May 9, however, the establishment appeared reluctant.

He also alleged that efforts are being made to secure a two-third majority for the ruling coalition, and an extension for the incumbent Supreme Court chief justice.

On Friday, Mr Khan also announced his intention to run for the position of chancellor of Oxford University while in prison.

‘No talks until PTI serious’

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui has indicated that his party would no longer “repeatedly call out” to the PTI for talks, while reiterating that the latter needed to approach it with seriousness.

In an interview with DawnNews, Mr Siddiqui said: “We repeatedly said ‘fine, you have entered the House — in whatever way you have — then at least sit together on that level and try to solve your matters’”.

“[But] they do not want to talk, and we have also thought that now we will not repeatedly call out to them from our rooftops that ‘come, talk to us’,” the politician added.

However, he went on to say that the PML-N and its coalition partners would “consider whether to open the door or not” for talks with the PTI if the latter “approached it seriously”.

The senator stressed that holding a dialogue depended on when the PTI would have realised that “we shouldn’t have talks with the army but with politicians”.

He added that perhaps Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and leader of the opposition alliance, would be “successful in making [the PTI] understand” that a dialogue among political parties was needed.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024