ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Tuesday former spymaster Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed, against whom court martial proceedings began in August, had been formally arraigned on a number of charges, including engaging in political activities and violating a law on official secrets.
Hameed, who served as the director-general of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from June 2019 until October 2021, was arrested this August over accusations he was involved in land grabbing and snatching valuables and property from the owner of a housing society. The military said at the time multiple instances of violations of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement had also been established against Hameed, court martial proceedings had been initiated and he was in the army’s custody.
The former general is widely seen to have been close to former prime minister Imran Khan, who has also been in jail since last year on a slew of charges that he says are politically motivated.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the army’s media wing said Field General Court Martial proceedings had started against Hameed on Aug. 12 under the Pakistan Army Act.
“In first place, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) has been 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),” the military said.
The statement added that Hameed was also being investigated for “creating agitation and unrest,” which had led to multiple incidents of “instability,” including but not limited to riots by alleged pro-Imran Khan protesters on May 9, 2023, in which government and military buildings were attacked and damaged. This was done, the military said, at “the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests.”
“Hameed is being afforded with all legal rights as per the law,” the statement concluded.
Investigations against senior officers of the all-powerful army are extremely rare in Pakistan, where the military has ruled for almost half of the country’s history and wields extraordinary power even during periods of civilian rule.
In the past, Hameed, who retired from the army in December 2022, was widely accused by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of bringing down the government of his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, in 2017. The PML-N alleges Hameed worked with then opposition leader Imran Khan to plot Nawaz’s ouster through a series of court cases, culminating in the Supreme Court’s disqualifying of him from office in 2017 for failing to disclose income and ordering a criminal investigation into his family over corruption allegations.
Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, is widely believed to have been propelled to power with the backing of the military in 2018. However, since his ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote, which he blames on the generals, he has waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military establishment. The military has denied any involvement in his ouster but Khan has been public about the clash, which has led to the worst political turmoil in the South Asian nation in decades.
Many independent analysts say the unprecedented arrest and court-martial of Hameed could raise the heat on Khan and be the precursor to prosecuting the jailed former prime minister before a military court on charges of treason and attempting to incite a mutiny in the military.
ARREST
At the time of Hameed’s arrest in August, the army said it had held a detailed inquiry against him in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the management of the Top City housing society.
The petition, filed by the owner of Top City, Moeez Ahmed Khan (applicant), says the former ISI chief “misused” his office and under his direction, crimes were committed against Moeez and his family, including raids on his residence and business offices and arrests of him and his family members.
The petition says the applicant and his family members were robbed of their properties, the applicant was robbed of his business properties and compelled to transfer his businesses into the names of those nominated by Hameed, and false cases were registered against the applicant, his family and employees.
“Complying with the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed court of inquiry, was undertaken by Pakistan Army, to ascertain correctness of complaints in Top City Case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd),” the army’s media wing said in a statement after Hameed’s arrest.
“Consequently, appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd), under provisions of Pakistan Army Act.”
Days after Hameed’s arrest, the Pakistani military said it had arrested three more retired officers in connection with the proceedings against the ex-spy chief.
Political parties and critics often accuse that the ISI spy agency interferes in politics and government in Pakistan.
