Gujranwala judge summons Bizenjo over remarks against ISI chief

GUJRANWALA: Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Saleem Chohan on Friday summoned Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo on August 8 over his allegation against Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen. Faiz Hameed that his “people” were behind the opposition’s failure in a no-trust vote against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani the other day.

While accepting a petition filed by Advocate Manzoor Qadir Bhinder for hearing, Judge Chohan summoned a report on the matter from the city police officer (CPO).

According to the petitioner, Senator Bizenjo had made a “baseless and false” statement against the head of a state institution. The petitioner further claimed that the uttered remarks were an attempt to defame a ‘senior Pakistan Army officer’.

The petition requested the court to “direct the Gujranwala CPO to instruct the Civil Lines police station to register a case against Bizenjo”.

A day earlier, in a rude shock to the joint opposition on Thursday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and its allies successfully saved Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani from an ouster bid despite the opposition having a clear majority in the Upper House of Parliament.

The joint opposition had last month submitted a no-confidence resolution against Sanjrani and had named Bizenjo as its candidate for the position. On Thursday, the opposition suffered a shock defeat when it fell three votes short to dismiss the Senate chairman despite having a comfortable majority in the Upper House.

After the vote, as Bizenjo was walking out of the Senate building, a journalist asked if the senator knew the 14 turncoats who had voted against their party’s stated stance.

Bizenjo responded: “These are Gen Faiz’s people. You know Gen Faiz, the ISI chief? [They] were his people.”

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had early on Friday denounced the statement.

In a tweet posted on Maj Gen Ghafoor’s official Twitter account early on Friday, the ISPR chief said that Bizenjo’s remarks were “unfounded” and did not “serve democracy”.