- The former ISI chief’s conviction is strictly limited to his individual actions.
- Growing expectations of accountability beyond the military: sources
- They add that judges, bureaucrats and politicians can be subject to scrutiny.
ISLAMABAD: Following the conviction of former Director General of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI DG), Lieutenant General (Retd) Faiz Hamid, certain political and media circles have started speculating about the possibility of taking legal action against former Army Chief General (Retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
However, informed sources have dismissed such claims, stating that there is no ongoing investigation or proceedings against General (retd) Bajwa.
Sources said the gossip circulating in some quarters is baseless. According to them, the military accountability process that culminated in the former spy chief’s conviction was strictly evidence-based and limited to his individual actions, without any material linking the former army chief to the case.
Instead, sources indicate that after the military concluded the accountability process against one of its own senior officers, expectations are growing that accountability could extend beyond the military.
Judges, bureaucrats, politicians and even journalists who allegedly played roles in past political engineering or overstepped constitutional and legal boundaries may come under scrutiny in the coming days.
The military spokesman had previously expressed a similar position. In a press conference last year, the ISPR Director General, while responding to questions arising from the arrest of the former ISI chief and the court-martial process, made it clear that the military accountability system is transparent and does not operate on the basis of accusations or assumptions, but on solid evidence.
When asked if former Prime Minister Imran Khan could be tried under the Army Act in connection with the General (retd) Faiz case, the ISPR Director General termed the question hypothetical and said the matter was sub judice.
However, he stressed that under military law, if an individual is found to have used a person under the jurisdiction of the Army Law for personal or political gain, and there is evidence, the law will take its own course.
The military spokesperson was also questioned about the role of former army chief General (retd) Bajwa and former ISI director general Lt Gen (retd) Naveed Mukhtar in the appointment and promotion of General (retd) Faiz. In response, DG I of the ISPR emphasized that it would be unfair to bind others to the actions of an individual who, out of personal interests and at the behest of certain political elements, crossed his constitutional and legal boundaries.
These comments, along with the absence of evidence against General (retd) Bajwa or General (retd) Mukhtar, clearly suggest that there is no case against the former army chief in the General (retd) Faiz matter.
Sources maintain that while no action has been taken against General (retd) Bajwa, the post-Faiz scenario should open the door to a broader accountability process aimed at those in civilian institutions who allegedly facilitated or benefited from unconstitutional conduct in the past.
Such accountability, they say, would be essential to ensure that responsibility is fixed across the board and not applied selectively.
Originally published in The News
