Former prime minister Imran Khan has that the arrest of former Inter-Services Intelligence director general Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed was an internal matter of the military and the PTI had nothing to do with the development.

“Khan sahib said just this that ‘it is the army’s internal matter’ and that whatever action the army has taken has nothing to do with the PTI or Khan sahib,” PTI lawyer Intezar Panjutha told reporters after having a meeting with the incarcerated party founder in Adiala Jail on Tuesday.

PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan spoke on a similar wavelength after the development, saying that the army has its structure and the institution can take action against anyone it wants, as per “its own will”.

In a shocking development on Monday, the military’s media wing said that Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed has been taken into military custody and the process of field general court martial has been initiated against him about the Top City housing scheme scandal.

“Appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against the former spymaster under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

According to the ISPR, the action was taken following the Supreme Court orders into the case.

When asked, Panjutha said Khan was “clear on the matter and has said: ‘We never had a political relationship with Gen Faiz or anyone. My relationship with him was till October 2021 when he was changed [as ISI chief]’.”

The PTI lawyer added that Imran alleged that former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa “changed him [Gen Hameed as ISI chief] for the sake of his extension in a deal with Nawaz Sharif”.

Panjutha said: “Khan sahib said just one thing ‘if these developments are connected with May 9 then it is a very good opportunity.’”

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The party’s lawyer stated that the party had always maintained that there should be a judicial commission set up to investigate the events of the violent nationwide protests last year after Khan’s arrest and it should determine two things which the party had been demanding since the first day.

“Who ordered the abduction of Khan sahib from the Islamabad High Court? Whoever gave the order [also] planned the May 9 conspiracy.”