A commission formed to probe the Faizabad sit-in has cleared former spymaster Lt Gen Faiz Hameed of any wrongdoing and pinned the blame on the government of the time.

The three-member commission headed by former AIG KP Dr Akhtar Ali Shah and included former IG Tahir Alam and Khushhal Khan has finalised a 243-page report and submitted it to the Supreme Court as well as the government.

The commission found the Shehbaz Sharif-led Punjab government responsible for failing to stop the sit-in. However, Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently prime minister, has not been named in the report.

The report said that there was no link to establish the involvement of former DG ISI Lt Gen (r) Faiz Hameed and former DG Rangers Maj Gen Naveed Azhar Hayat.

The report includes statements made in person or in writing by former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, incumbent IB chief Fawad Asadullah, firmer ISI DG Lt Gen (R) Faiz Hameed, former IB chief Aftab Sultan, former Punjab IG Arif Nawaz and former Rangers DG Lt Gen (R) Naveed Azhar Hayat.

The commission found that the Punjab government did not take action against the TLP so that its vote bank would remain intact.

The report by the commission shows that only former PEMRA Chairman Absar Alam gave a statement against Hameed.

However, the commission did recommend that a code of conduct should be developed for the intelligence agencies. It also recommended that the Intelligence Bureau should be made in charge of internal security matters and military intelligence should stay away from civilian matters.