ISLAMABAD: Former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has rejected the allegations of his involvement in the constitution of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) benches to prolong the detention of former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

The ex-spymaster, who submitted his response to the petition filed before the Supreme Court by former senior puisne judge of the IHC Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, claimed the judge had dragged him into the case for no reason.

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The apex court is scheduled to take up on Tuesday (today) the petition against a decision of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) about Mr Siddiqui’s dismissal from service and an Oct 11, 2018, notification under which he was removed for a speech he had delivered at Rawalpindi Bar Association.

Last month, Mr Siddiqui impleaded retired Lt Gen Hameed, three retired brigadiers Irfan Ramay, Faisal Marwat and Tahir Wafai, former IHC chief justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, former SC registrar Arbab Mohammad Arif in the case.

SC to take up Justice Siddiqui’s appeal against his dismissal today

In his speech, Justice Siddiqui had accused the ISI of influencing the court proceedings and forming benches of choice.

The former spymaster stated in his reply the “benches for hearing appeals were to be constituted by the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), and not by the petitioner [who was then senior puisne judge], and as such if Respondent No 3 [Gen Faiz Hameed] had any desire [which he could not dare to entertain] to have a bench of his choice to be constituted he would have approached the IHC chief justice, to do so, rather than to involve the petitioner in this matter.”

According to the petition, the bench constituted by the then IHC chief justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi comprised the finest judges of the high court and one of the two judges who heard the matter and suspended Mr Sharif’s sentence was later elevated to the Supreme Court.

The former chief justice and retired brigadier Ramay have also denied the allegations levelled against them.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024