By Nazim Malik
Former intelligence chief retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, a close associate of PTI chief Imran Khan, has been formally indicted on charges of engaging in political activities, the ISPR says.
With Hameed indictment questions being raised has his then boss Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has been given the clean chit.
The court martial proceedings have begun against Gen Hameed, the previous head of the premier Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for violating the Army Secret Act.
In a press release today, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) recalled that the process of FGCM was initiated against Gen Hameed under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act on August 12. “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),” ISPR said.
“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,” it said.
Gen Hameed also faced charges from the Top City Housing Society Islamabad which accused of extorting Rs40 million and coercing the sponsorship of a private TV channel — AAP News — which was owned by anchor Aftab Iqbal. Aftab Iqbal has managed to flee the country.
In March 2024, a Rawalpindi court had sent retired naib tehsildar Najaf Hameed, brother of the former spymaster, to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
Najaf, along with co-accused persons, had sought pre-arrest bail in a first information report (FIR) registered with the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) in Rawalpindi. The FIR had alleged that former minister for mineral resources Hafiz Ammar Yasir acquired properties worth billions of rupees in the name of benamidars.
PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry said: “This charge sheet is not only against Faiz Hameed but the Imran-Faiz Nexus as well.”
Gen Hameed hailed from the army’s Baloch Regiment. He was appointed as the ISI director general in June 2019, replacing incumbent Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, who was then a lieutenant general.
Gen Hameed had opted to seek early retirement and sent his resignation to the high command in November 2022 following appointment of Gen Asim Munir as army chief.
Gen Hameed’s name first caught the public eye when he helped end the Faizabad sit-in by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan in November 2017 through an agreement.
In a suo motu notice of the incident, the Supreme Court in February 2019 had ruled that the ISI, the Intelligence Bureau, Military Intelligence, and the ISPR “must not exceed their respective mandates”.
Gen had been the target of strong criticism from PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.
Let’s see how much time the proceedings against Gen Hameed take to reach final verdict against him. PAK DESTINY
