The Faizabad dharna (sit-in) inquiry commission report has been formally submitted to the Supreme Court by the Attorney General's Office on Sunday.

The report, spanning 150 pages and based on the testimonies of 33 witnesses, delves into the complexities surrounding the contentious Faizabad sit-in.

A three-member bench, spearheaded by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is slated to convene tomorrow to scrutinise the comprehensive findings encapsulated within the report.

Notably, the inquiry commission, after a thorough examination, refrained from attributing culpability to any specific individual or institution.

However, it did highlight certain operational shortcomings, notably the failure of the Punjab government to deter protesters from converging on Islamabad during the sit-in.

Lt-Gen (rtd) Faiz Hameed gets clean chit

Earlier on April 16, the inquiry commission assigned to investigate the Faizabad dharna (sit in) incident has cleared former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed and former Punjab Rangers director general Major General (retd) Azhar Naveed Hayat of any wrongdoing.

This commission, established by the Supreme Court in the aftermath of the 2017 sit-in at Faizabad led by former Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi, found no evidence supporting allegations of distributing money among protest participants against either former military officer.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Hamid, who was heading ISI’s counterintelligence wing at the time of the protest, had been authorized by the then-army chief and ISI director general to sign an agreement as an arbitrator. Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal had also consented to Hamid signing the accord on November 25, 2017, leading to the dispersal of the demonstrators.

The commission, chaired by former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police officer Dr. Akhtar Ali Shah and comprising senior PAS official Khushhal Khan and former inspector general Tahir Alam, recommended taking legal action against individuals based on the federal government and Punjab's findings. It also suggested reinstating cases against the TLP during the dharna.

The 149-page report contains statements from various individuals, including Abbasi, Shehbaz Sharif, Iqbal, current IB head Fawad Asadullah, former ISI chief Hamid, ex-Intelligence Bureau chief Aftab Sultan, former Punjab IG Arif Nawaz, and former Punjab Rangers DG Maj Gen (retd) Azhar Naveed.