• Terms Faiz’s arrest ‘a drama’; minister says demand akin to ‘interference’ in military’s internal affairs
• PTI leader claims Malik Riaz’s money ‘not ill-gotten’, UK’s NCA ‘seized it over suspicion’

ISLAMABAD: As he called for an open trial of former spymaster Faiz Hameed, who is facing court-martial proceedings, PTI leader Imran Khan on Wednesday preemptively sought public proceedings in his own case as well, if he ever faced charges of mutiny in connection with the May 9 violence.

In an interaction with journalists after the hearing of the £190 million case at Adiala jail on Wednesday, the former premier asked the army chief to hold a public trial of the former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — a demand termed ‘interference’ in the internal affairs of the military by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

Retired Gen Faiz Hameed was taken into custody over allegations of corruption, levelled by the owner of a private housing scheme in Islamabad. According to the army’s media wing, the retired general had violated certain sections of the Pakistan Army Act following his retirement.

The incarcerated PTI founder on Wednesday termed the arrest of the former spymaster a ‘drama’ and claimed that the open trial of Gen Faiz would expose the ‘regime change operation’ and the incidents of May 9. On that day, PTI supporters had stormed state buildings, including military installations, following the arrest of Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court.

Besides making a demand for an open trial of the former general, Imran Khan said if he is tried for mutiny, the proceedings should be open to the public, adding that a former prime minister could not be court-martialled in a democracy.

The PTI leader claimed that since Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa was going to retire in a few months and he (Imran) was likely to be absolved in all cases instituted against him, there was a plan to try him in the military court.

Speaking about his relationship with the ex-ISI chief, the ex-PM said he had never been in contact with Gen Faiz Hameed following his transfer from the ISI, claiming that a general becomes ‘zero’ after retirement.

In response to a question about why he allowed the transfer of Malik Riaz’s ‘criminal proceeds’ through a confidential deal, Mr Khan replied that the reference was closed in 2020 after the investigation officer stated that it was not ill-gotten money, and this was discussed in a cabinet meeting as well.

He said that the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK froze the amount for being a suspicious transaction, and the amount could have also been returned through litigation, but it would have come after a lengthy and hectic process.

He said that Malik Riaz conducted this transaction to buy Hassan Nawaz’s property, adding that the deal with the NCA was kept confidential per the demand of the property tycoon. He, however, claimed that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) could disclose the terms of the confidential deal.

Interference in army affairs

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, on the other hand, termed the demand for Gen Faiz’s open trial as meddling in the army’s internal affairs. The minister, in a statement, regretted that the PTI founder had made multiple attempts to make the matter controversial.

Instead of giving statements in defence of Faiz Hameed, the PTI founder should make his position clear in the Al Qadir Trust corruption case, the minister said, adding that the controversial statements coming from the former premier showed that he was suffering from “serious anxiety and uncertainty”. The minister said the PTI founder was reluctant to accept that the issue of Gen Hameed was an internal matter of the army, which proved that the ex-spy chief was the “asset” of the PTI leader.

He said it seemed that the PTI chief was in mental disarray as sometimes he called the former ISI chief an “asset or a hero”, while on some occasions, he took the completely opposite stance. In the Faiz Hameed case, he said it appeared that the PTI founder had no qualms about using people for his own personal interests.

IHC disposes of petition

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) disposed of a petition by Mr Khan seeking the record related to NAB’s executive board meeting that recommended the closure of the £190m case. An IHC division bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar heard the petition.

The prosecution submitted the relevant record before the court and also assured the bench that it would be shared with the defence counsel.

The petition stated that the NAB in April 2020 in the 343rd meeting of the Executive Board recommended closing this reference and the investigation officer admitted certain facts regarding the meeting during the cross-examination. It demanded the minutes of the meeting be produced before the trial court as it was vital evidence for the defence.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2024