Ex-ISI chief Faiz Hameed arraigned on charges of ‘engaging in political activities’ among others, says ISPR

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday that Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed (retd) was formally arraigned on charges of engaging “in political activities, violations of Official Secret Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority & government resources and causing wrongful loss to a person(s)”.

In a statement, the ISPR said Field General Court Martial (FGCM) was initiated against the former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief on August 12, 2024.

“During the process, involvement of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd), in events related to creating agitation and unrest, leading up to multiple incidents including but not limited to 9th May 2023 incident for fomenting instability; at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests, is also being separately investigated,” the military’s media wing said.

Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd) is being afforded all legal rights as per the law, the statement added.

In August this year, the ISPR announced that Faiz Hameed was taken into military custody and the process of field court martial initiated against the former spy master.

“Complying with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed court of inquiry was undertaken by Pakistan Army, to ascertain the correctness of complaints in the Top City case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd),” the military’s media wing had then said in a press statement.

“Consequently, appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd), under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act.

“In addition, multiple instances of violation of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement have also been established.”

The case against Faiz Hameed

The management of Top City, a private housing scheme, had accused the former ISI chief of orchestrating a raid on the offices and residence of its owner Moeez Khan.

The Supreme Court then advised the owner to approach the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Defence, to address his grievances.

Later, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed an ongoing investigation against the former ISI head and his brother over alleged corruption and accumulation of assets beyond their means.

Faiz Hameed in news

Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd), who took premature retirement from service in December 2022, has been in the news for some time, often for controversial reasons. He was among the six senior generals whose name was included by the General Headquarters (GHQ) in the list of potential candidates for the post of army chief in 2022.

Hameed was director general of the ISI from 2019 to 2021, and came into global spotlight when he was filmed drinking tea in the lobby of a Kabul hotel shortly after the Taliban had taken over Afghanistan following the pullout of U.S. and other Western forces in 2021.

Before retirement, Hameed was the commander of the Bahawalpur and Peshawar corps. He faced criticism from political parties for allegedly supporting Imran Khan’s previous government and victimising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) political opposition.

In May 2023, Faisal Vawda, a former federal minister claimed that ex-spymaster Faiz Hameed was the “architect” and “mastermind” of the corruption case PTI founder and former premier Imran Khan faced regarding the Al-Qadir Trust.

“My compulsion today was to tell the nation that when you say the beneficiary is Imran, […] the biggest is Faiz Hameed,” Vawda said while speaking to reporters in Islamabad then.

In March this year, the anti-corruption department arrested a former deputy tehsildar, Sardar Najaf Hameed, the brother of former DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd), in a case related to corruption and misuse of authority after the court canceled his bail.

Najaf Hameed was arrested after the anti-corruption court’s judge Judge Ali Nawaz Bhakar rejected his bail as he arrived late to the court.

Similarly, Faiz Hameed was exonerated by a commission of inquiry established to investigate the Faizabad Dharna case earlier this year. In November 2017, political parties including Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan protested and held a sit-in for nearly three weeks at Islamabad’s Faizabad Interchange. The protest ended after the protesting parties and the government reached an agreement. The agreement was reportedly signed by Faiz Hameed.