- Lawyer Ashfaq says there is “no truth” to the reports circulating.
- Faiz Hamid’s lawyer denounces rumors “speculative and baseless.”
- Government ministers claimed that Faiz was becoming an approver against Imran.
ISLAMABAD: Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hamid is in no way becoming an approver against Imran Khan, the former spymaster’s lawyer has asserted.
Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq, Faiz’s lawyer, dismissed reports suggesting his client may turn against jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran, calling the allegations “speculative and baseless”, reported News.
Responding to questions from the publication, lawyer Ashfaq said there was “no truth” in reports circulating in some media and political circles that Faiz was considering becoming an approver in the cases against Imran.
“All these reports are completely unfounded and based on speculation,” he said.
The clarification comes as some federal ministers and Senator Faisal Vawda, considered close to the military establishment, have repeatedly said the former secret service chief would testify against the former prime minister.
There is also speculation about an alleged connection between Imran and Faiz, especially in connection with the violence of May 9, 2023. When asked if he had directly discussed the matter with his client, lawyer Ashfaq did not answer in the affirmative, but replied: “I know such things for sure”, indicating that there was no question of Faiz becoming an approver against the PTI founder.
Speculation about a connection between Faiz and Imran is a government-backed narrative that has been repeated time and again since the May 9 incidents, in which military installations were attacked after Imran’s arrest.
Speculation has intensified following Faiz’s recent sentencing to 14 years in prison by a military court.
Senior cabinet members, including Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, have repeatedly claimed that the violence was the result of a coordinated plan involving Imran and the former ISI chief.
However, despite these claims, the military’s media arm, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has yet to declare in any of its public press briefings the existence of such a link.
Notably, when the government’s main spokesperson, the Minister of Information, was recently questioned by News Whether the claims of an Imran-Faiz link were based on the findings of a civilian or military investigation or simply on circumstantial evidence, he avoided responding directly and referred the matter to the ISPR.
Originally published in The News
