Ex-ISI chief's conviction is Army's internal issue: Afridi

K-P CM again denied permission to meet Imran at Adiala Jail

RAWALPINDI:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday said the conviction of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed is an internal matter of the army.

In an unprecedented development in Pakistan's civil-military history, Hameed was convicted and sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment following a protracted military trial.

This is the first time a former spymaster and one of the most influential generals of his generation, was tried and punished under the Pakistan Army Act.

Addressing the media at the Dahgal checkpoint while en route to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, the K-P chief minister said, "Faiz Hameed is an employee of an institution. If he has been convicted in any matter, it is their (army's) internal affair".

He criticised the repeated stops of his convoy by Punjab authorities and alleged mistreatment of citizens and PTI leaders, including PTI founding chairman Imran Khan's sisters.

Afridi had come to meet Imran at Adiala Jail but was denied permission.

"You are putting up barriers for your own citizens. Who gives you these orders?" he asked

Afridi noted that such actions sent a negative message both domestically and internationally. ""I am not a chief minister from any other country. What message are you trying to send? Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is part of Pakistan, and I am its chief minister."

He condemned the detention of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, saying, "The founder and his wife are unjustly imprisoned, and he is kept in solitary confinement. This will not be forgotten. These people (incumbent regime) are corrupt, and when our government returns, accountability will be held."

He said for the past three-and-a-half years, efforts have been made to sideline Imran Khan.