ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said all evidence is pointing towards a military trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan.
In an interview to a private news channel on Saturday, he also hinted at the possibility of Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed turning an approver against the former premier. The minister believed that after his arrest, former ISI chief Faiz Hameed would likely have provided information about his connection with the PTI founder, indicating that he would want to shift all blame onto Imran Khan. He recalled that in whichever city a protest took place on May 9, the military installations were specifically targeted.
“Some people were directing them, and there was a planning from somewhere,” Khawaja Asif noted. He expressed his belief that those were necessarily the instructions from Imran Khan. He said “even today Imran Khan has access; he writes articles and tweets on his behalf, he must have access during that period, and that access must have helped done planning. A military mind could only organise.”
Khawaja Asif said that Imran Khan’s one grief was that his power was taken away, and General Faiz’s grief was another. His name was in the list of the first five; he wanted to become the army chief, the minister recalled and added that Faiz Hameed had contacted even his party PMLN leadership in that regard. “He assured me that if PMLN supports him to become the army chief, he will do it with loyalty; he also gave some guarantees,” claimed Khawaja Asif.
The defence minister said the PTI complaints became more intense after the appointment of incumbent army chief. To stop them, he planned to create internal disturbances in the Pakistan Army and spread disturbances among the people through the army, and the May-9 incident was one of such disturbances, the PML-N senior leader explained.
In response to a question, he said a trial in a military court could be conducted if anyone crosses the red lines that lead to a conflict with the army or matters of Pakistan’s integrity. He said that according to all evidence that are coming out, it is becoming clearer day by day that his trial would take place there (military courts).
The minister said that “since General Faiz has been arrested, now he must be telling the stories of whatever association he had with Imran Khan”. He said General Faiz might admit that he was also a part of the conspiracy, but he might claim that all motivations were Imran Khan’s, and he had no motives. He might suggest that he [Imran Khan] was the prime minister, and he was the DG ISI, and he was bound to obey his orders.
Khawaja Asif said that after the departure of both of them from power, efforts of both of them to take over the country and to create a rebellion in the army had been failed.
Explaining the bill to increase the number of judges, the defence minister said that in a country where 2.7 million cases were pending and the country’s position regarding rule of law was 130 in the table of 139, there should be 50 judges in the apex court, instead of 21. He said the Supreme Judicial Council would recommend the names of judges, which would be presented before the parliamentary committee. Then committee would verify the names, in accordance with the constitutional process.
Khalid Iqbal adds: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan has filed an acquittal plea in an accountability court at Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, in the £190 million reference against him. The plea was submitted on Saturday following the Supreme Court decision, reinstating amendments to the NAB laws.
Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana issued notices to the respondents and scheduled the hearing for Sept 10.
Khan’s lawyer argued that the case against the former prime minister is no longer valid in the light of the SC decision, which upheld certain amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), protecting cabinet decisions. The lawyer questioned whether the accountability court still had the jurisdiction over the case post-amendments, leaving it to the court to decide.
The NAB prosecutor contended that the acquittal plea could only proceed if the court affirmed its jurisdiction. However, Khan’s legal team maintained they were not challenging the court’s authority. The hearing was adjourned until Sept 10, as the court considers Khan’s acquittal plea.
The petition follows the SC acceptance of intra-court appeals, filed by the federal and provincial governments against a September 15, 2023, ruling that had struck down several amendments to the NAO. The recent verdict, delivered by a five-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, confirmed that Khan’s challenge to the NAB amendments was unsuccessful. The amendments had originally been introduced by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government in 2022, following Khan’s ousting through a no-confidence vote.
Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has also submitted a separate acquittal application related to the same reference. Khan’s legal representative requested that his plea be considered alongside Bushra Bibi’s application.
NAB lawyers opposed the acquittal plea, arguing that the court retains jurisdiction over the case and the reference should proceed in its entirety. They further contended that the SC decision to restore amendments did not impact the case and the defence should have first questioned the court’s jurisdiction before seeking acquittal.
The development follows the SC decision on Friday, which reinstated the amendments to the NAB law by approving the federal government’s intra-court appeal against their nullification. The outcome of the hearing on Sept 10 would be closely watched as it could influence the ongoing legal proceedings involving Imran Khan and his wife.