Former Pak prime minister Shehbaz Sharif skips Faizabad sit-in probe hearing

Islamabad: Pakistan's former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has failed to appear before the inquiry commission constituted to probe the 2017 sit-in staged by a radical Islamic political party that paralysed Islamabad and Rawalpindi for weeks, according to a media report.

Quoting sources, Geo News reported that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz instead asked the commission to send him a questionnaire on the inquiry they wanted to conduct on the sit-in staged by activists of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

The commission, the sources added, has acknowledged his request and sent a 21-point questionnaire to reply to within a limited time.

The inquiry commission had summoned the PML-N president to appear before it in person and record a statement in the case on January 3, as he was the chief minister of Punjab province when the TLP staged the sit-in in 2017 near Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, former Director of Inter-Services Intelligence Lieutenant General (Retd) Faiz Hamid has been summoned thrice by the inquiry commission, but the former senior military officer has not responded to their summons yet.

The sources claim that the commission is mulling over recording Faiz's statement via video link.

Following the completion of the probe, the commission will submit its inquiry report on January 22, 2024.

In November last year, the caretaker federal government constituted the inquiry commission for the implementation of the top court’s 2019 Faizabad verdict.

The probe panel was constituted on the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan under the chair of retired IGP Akhtar Ali Shah after the apex court rejected the fact-finding committee report constituted by the government.

On November 15, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked that the commission would be empowered to summon anyone, including former army chiefs, prime ministers and chief justices.

Earlier, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, then-secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad and other senior officials serving in Islamabad and Punjab who were involved in the episode had appeared before the probe panel.

In November 2017, the top court took suo motu notice of the three-week-long sit-in, which was held against a change in the finality-of-Prophethood oath, termed by the government as a clerical error, when the government passed the Elections Act 2017.

The sit-in was called off after the protesters reached an agreement with the government.