SIALKOT:
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday directly linked former ISI chief Faiz Hameed to the ouster of Nawaz Sharif from office in 2017, accusing the former spymaster of orchestrating a long-running political project that culminated in Imran Khan’s rise to power and inflicted “significant damage” on the country.
Intensifying the tone days after the rare conviction, the minister said those who gambled with the country’s future for power had lost the right to be called Pakistanis “whether they wore a uniform like Faiz or a vest and Peshawari sandals like Imran”.
He warned that further legal proceedings against Hameed were on the way.
Addressing a press conference in Sialkot, Asif also raised the ruling party’s long trail of protests and grievances, claiming that Nawaz Sharif’s removal was the product of a carefully engineered conspiracy designed to clear the way for PTI founder Imran Khan’s rise to power.
“The removal of Nawaz, the cases against him, the charges and Imran’s rise to power, this entire project was carried out under the supervision of Faiz Hameed,” he said, adding that Hameed and his “partner” Imran Khan were jointly responsible for destabilizing the country.
Referring to the 2018 general election, he said Hameed was “in charge of Project Imran” and claimed “Faiz was the most important part of this government”.
“A former head of the ISI has been convicted in a trial that ran for 15 months. There are still other charges on which a trial will begin soon.”
According to the minister, the former spymaster played a pivotal role in suppressing political opponents during PTI’s tenure. “He used to threaten and imprison political opponents,” Asif said.
He further argued that Imran’s political “vision” was executed through Hameed, who was Imran’s primary beneficiary. He termed it a “shameful” chapter in Pakistan’s history.
Asif alleged that “bringing Imran to power, filing cases against Nawaz, expelling him, imprisoning his family and his party leaders and workers” were all done under Hameed’s leadership.
He claimed that the former ISI chief was “given the opportunity to rule Pakistan through Imran” and said Parliament itself had been sidelined. “Decisions for the future of the country used to be made in the backyard of the prime minister’s house,” he said, adding that legislation was dictated to lawmakers during that period.
He said the project began to fall apart after Hameed’s transfer, though he continued to facilitate Imran while serving as corps commander. Asif further accused Hameed of involvement in the violent disturbances of 9 May 2023.
“It was his planning; people in the institution also played a role, but the manpower was PTI workers,” he said. “It was a joint venture of General Faiz,” he added, before briefly correcting himself: “I keep saying General because it’s only been four days since his title was revoked.”
The defense minister maintained that those now seeking to revive Imran’s political fortunes were operating on the foundation laid by Hameed. “The conspirators who tried to support Imran today and bring him back to power, all these seeds were sown by Faiz.”
“These two personalities cannot be separated.”
Condemning the May 9 violence as an attack on the sanctity of the armed forces, Asif contrasted it with national pride in the wake of the military’s Operation Bunyan ul Marsoos against India in May, which earned Pakistan international recognition. “Now imagine if Faiz and Imran’s plans had succeeded, where would we be today?” he asked.
“God forbid, if the Faiz-Imran nexus still existed, there might not have been a need for war at all, as they would have ensured the country’s destruction from within.”
The defense minister vowed to continue the accountability process and said Pakistan’s enemies will be held accountable.
“Those who have staked the country’s future for power cannot be considered Pakistanis. Whether they are in uniform like Faiz or in a vest and Peshawari sandals like Imran,” he said.
