Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor has denounced remarks made by Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo who, on Thursday, accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed of political meddling and claimed that his “people” were behind the opposition’s failure in the Senate’s no-confidence vote against Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
In a tweet posted late Thursday night, Ghafoor said: “Remarks by Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo implicating head of national premier institution are unfounded.”
He further noted that “the tendency to bring [the] entire democratic process into disrepute for petty political gains doesn’t serve democracy”.
Remarks by Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo implicating head of national premier institution are unfounded. The tendency to bring entire democratic process into disrepute for petty political gains doesn’t serve democracy.
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 1, 2019
A day earlier, following the unprecedented no-trust vote against the incumbent Senate chairman, which the opposition lost in a dramatic way, Bizenjo, while replying to a reporter, accused the spy chief of hijacking the poll.
Not beating around the bush. #HasilBizenjo pic.twitter.com/T9u3pu11nH
— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) August 1, 2019
Interestingly, the statement came only two days after Bizenjo claimed in a TV show that “money can’t be used to buy senators off in the run-up to the election”.
The same day, 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.
As the session chaired by Barrister Muhammad Saif started, the opposition moved a motion seeking Sanjrani’s removal which was endorsed by 64 senators. Both Leader of House Shibli Faraz and Leader of Opposition Raja Zafarul Haq forgo the debate on the motion and agreed to send it to the secret balloting.
However, needing only 53 of the 64 votes to send Sanjrani home, the opposition instead fell three short when the final results ballot were announced. The final vote count was 50 votes in favor of the motion, five votes rejected, and 45 cast against.