- Senator Vawda says PTI founder is next in line for accountability.
- Adds that ex-COAS Bajwa showed “negligence, incompetence”.
- Asif says more charges could be filed against the former ISI chief.
Senator Faisal Vawda on Thursday claimed that former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid would testify against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, intensifying legal problems for the latter.
Vawda, a former PTI leader, made the statements while speaking on PK Press Club News “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath,” said Hamid would also present evidence against the incarcerated ex-PM.
The General Field Court Martial (FGCM) earlier today sentenced the former spy to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment “on four counts related to engaging in political activities and violating the Official Secrecy Act,” according to Inter-Services Public Relations.
He insisted that the PTI founder seemed firmly “caught in the legal trap” arising from the May 9 cases, warning that the process would intensify.
The events of May 9 refer to the 2023 riots triggered by the arrest of the PTI founder at the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a corruption case.
During the protests, miscreants targeted civilian and military installations, including the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
“The influence of the law will not stop there,” he noted, adding that Hamid’s 14-year sentence “will not be reduced.”
Vawda further claimed that providing details of military installations before the events of May 9 “was the responsibility of Faiz Hamid.”
“Once things are clear, the first figure will be that of the PTI and its founder,” he said.
Discussing the role of former army chief, retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Vawda said Bajwa had shown “negligence and incompetence” but later tried to remove Hamid after realizing the implications.
However, he said Bajwa had been found “exonerated”, meaning “no action will be taken against him”.
Speaking on the same show, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that the events of May 9 were a “joint plan” involving the former ISI chief and the PTI founder.
He claimed that the violence was aimed at “cancelling the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir”.
Asif said PTI founder “could not have achieved May 9 [riots] alone”, saying that Hamid had retained his influence even after his retirement. He added that more cases could still be filed against him.
The minister argued that the civilian authority to appoint the army chief had never been challenged in the past, but insisted that former army chief Bajwa had used pressure and made threats to block Munir’s appointment.
He further claimed that Bajwa initially pushed Hamid to become army chief and then proposed other names to change the process.
