Former ISI Chief, Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid, has denied accusations of plotting against the former government during the Faizabad sit-in probe.

Despite being summoned thrice by the commission investigating the 2017 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) sit-in, he didn't appear before the panel. However, he responded to the commission's questionnaire, stating that he engaged in talks with TLP under the government's directives.

The inquiry commission was established by the caretaker federal government in November 2023 to enforce the Supreme Court's 2019 Faizabad verdict after the court rejected a previous government-formed fact-finding committee's report. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa affirmed the commission's authority to summon individuals, including former army chiefs and prime ministers.

The commission's deadline to submit its report to the Supreme Court is January 22. Notably, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, summoned by the commission, requested the panel to send him questions, to which a 21-point questionnaire has been dispatched.

Previously, various officials, including former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ex-Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, involved in the incident, appeared before the panel. The 2017 Faizabad sit-in was triggered by a change in the finality-of-Prophethood oath, resolved through an agreement between protesters and the government.

In its 2019 verdict, the Supreme Court emphasized citizens' right to assemble and protest within lawful bounds, safeguarding others' fundamental rights.