Pakistan's Defence Minister calls former ISI chief General Hameed "central figure" in bringing Imran Khan to power

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 12 (ANI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the partnership between former Pakistan Prime Minister and former Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General (retd) Faiz Hameed, which played a key role in bringing Imran Khan to power, started before the 2018 polls and continued after the events of May 9, The Express Tribune reported.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament House, Asif said that the collaboration between Khan and Hameed was key to the political rise of PTI founder.
"General Faiz was the central figure in bringing Imran Khan to power. Their partnership began before the 2018 elections and continued after May 9. and anyone who denies this we have evidence to support it," Asif said.
He spoke about the ways in which the retired General Faiz allegedly supported Imran Khan's party during the elections in 2018.
Alleging manipulation of Result Transmission System (RTS), he said, "RTS (Result Transmission System) was manipulated, opposition leaders were imprisoned, and false cases were filed. This helped PTI's rise to power."
He said that the partnership between Khan, Hameed also involved business figures in corruption and manipulation of Senate elections when PTI was in power.
Speaking on the military trials of individuals during Imran Khan's tenure, Khawaja Asif said, "The law will decide whether Imran Khan faces a military trial. Many individuals faced such trials during his time in office."
Commenting on the events of May 9, Pakistan's Defence Minister accused PTI of fabricating evidence. He said that Imran Khan's party was unable to show any proof regarding the deaths of 12 individuals in the National Assembly, according to The Express Tribune report.
Asif said, "PTI failed to present any proof regarding the deaths of 12 individuals in the National Assembly. The blame has been unfairly placed on police and Rangers, while the deaths of 5 police officers and Rangers personnel have been ignored."
He rejected claims made on social media about the events, stressing that everything that surfaces online is not true. He said, "The reality is far from what is portrayed on social media."
Earlier on December 10, Khawaja Asif slammed the PTI leadership and their ongoing protests. Criticising PTI for their ongoing protests, he said that the decisions made on November 26 would cause further humiliation once revealed, The Express Tribune reported.
Addressing the National Assembly on Tuesday, Asif, in response to the speech of Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, questioned the inconsistencies in the claims made regarding the number of casualties during the protests.
He said, "As of today, it has been 12 to 13 days since November 26, yet it remains unclear whether there were 12, 278, or even thousands of deaths. The opposition has failed to provide clarity on the true number of casualties." (ANI)