Imran’s military trial becoming clear with each day: Khwaja Asif

• Evidence against founder PTI points towards a military trial: Asif.
• General Faiz contacted PML-N for support to become army chief.
• Minister says former spy chief assured of loyalty, gave guarantees. 

As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan remains embroiled in various legal cases, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that it was becoming clearer day by day that the former prime minister will face a military trial.

“Evidence against founder PTI points towards military trial,” Asif said while speaking to a private news channel on Saturday, adding that military trials had taken place before and will continue to do so in future as well.

The defence minister’s remarks come after Khan — fearing a military trial over his alleged involvement in last year’s May 9 riots which saw military installations being targeted — filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to stop his potential trial in military courts.

The plea filed under Article 199 of the Constitution came amid speculations about a military trial of the deposed premier which have been rife for some time now.

However, Khan’s plea was met with objections raised by the IHC registrar’s office saying that neither did it mentioned any specific first information report (FIR) nor any documentation or order was attached to the petition and how a petition be filed in a high court while the matter of military trials is sub judice in the Supreme Court.

The former ruling party has ruled out the possibility of the ex-PM being subjected to a military trial.

It is pertinent to know that the apex court in December 2023, in a 5:1 majority verdict suspended its October 23, 2023, order wherein it declared civilians’ trials in military courts null and void in connection with the May 9 riots.

The verdict was announced on intra-court appeals filed by the federal and provincial governments and the defence ministry against the top court’s verdict.

The December 13 order stated that military court trials would be conditioned on the Supreme Court’s final verdict on the intra-court pleas.

Speaking on the matter, the defence minister said that he lacked the access to the investigation related to the PTI founder as they were confidential.

Recalling the May 9 events, the minister stressed that the key question is as to why Khan held protests outside military installations.

“The army was targeted in cities where demonstrations took place […] this leads us [to believe] that some people were directing [rioters],” the politician said.

The directions related to protests must’ve been of the PTI founder, he added.

Gen Faiz approached PML-N to become army chief

Commenting on former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hamid — who has been arrested by the army over allegations of land grabbing and snatching valuables from the owner of a private housing society — the politico said that the former spy chief felt aggrieved over the loss of power with the likes of that felt by Khan.

“General (retd) Faiz wanted to become army chief, his name was in the list. He contacted the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) leadership in this regard and assured of his loyalty against support for his bid for army chief,” the Asif remarked, adding that the ex-ISI chief also gave certain guarantees as well.

However, the minister continued, following the appointment of the incumbent army chief, Faiz’s complaints intensified.

“The general had an acquaintance with the PTI founder [and] he must be speaking about this following his arrest,” the minister said, noting that the former spy chief would attempt to shift the blame on someone else.

“He [Faiz] might say that even if he was part of the conspiracy then the objectives [of conspiracy] were of the PTI founder’s and not his,” Asif said.

“Both of them tried to take over the country after losing power. Both failed to create an uprising within the military,” he remarked.