The former Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Faiz Hameed, has been taken into military custody as court martial proceedings have been initiated against him. The charges include corruption, misuse of authority, and violations of the Pakistan Army Act, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The former DG ISI Faiz Hameed court martial marks a huge turn of events, given his powerful position within Pakistan’s intelligence community.
DG ISI Faiz Hameed Court Martial Initiated
The charges against Lt. Gen. (retd) Faiz Hameed trace back to May 2017, when he served as the Director-General of Counter Intelligence (DG-C) within ISI, one of the most powerful positions in Pakistan’s intelligence network. The allegations stem from a raid conducted under his authority on Top City, a housing project in Islamabad. The owner of Top City, Moeez Ahmed Khan, filed a petition in the Supreme Court in November 2023, accusing Gen. Faiz of orchestrating the raid, during which valuable items, including gold and cash, were allegedly seized by ISI officials.
The ISPR confirmed that following the Supreme Court’s directives, a detailed court of inquiry was conducted by the Pakistan Army to investigate the complaints against Gen. Faiz. The inquiry revealed not only the misuse of authority but also multiple violations of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement. As a result, the process of Field General Court Martial (FGCM) has been initiated, and Gen. Faiz has been placed under military custody.
What Are the Allegations
The petition by Moeez Ahmed Khan alleged that during the 2017 raid, ISI officials took away valuables from his home, including 400 tolas of gold and a significant amount of cash. The petition also claimed that Gen. Faiz Hameed later attempted to “resolve” the matter privately, offering to return some of the items while retaining a portion of the gold and cash. The allegations are now central to the court martial proceedings, which are being closely watched due to the high-profile nature of the accused.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Aminuddin, reviewed the case, noting the potential damage to the institution’s image if the matter was ignored. Following the court’s observation, the Attorney General assured that full cooperation would be extended, leading to the initiation of the inquiry by a high-level military committee.
What’s Next?
The court martial process involves several stages, beginning with the court of inquiry, followed by the recording of a summary of evidence. If the evidence is found sufficient, the FGCM is conducted. The possible punishments range from demotion and loss of privileges to imprisonment with hard labor, or even the death penalty, depending on the severity of the offense. The fact that proceedings have reached this stage indicates that there is substantial evidence against the former spy chief.
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