Former intelligence chief retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has been formally indicted on “charges of engaging in political activities”, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday.

The development comes almost four months after the army announ­ced the arrest of and Field General Court Martial (FGCM) proceedings against Gen Hameed, the previous head of the premier Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, on allegations of violating the Army Act.

According to a source, Gen Hameed was taken into custody from Rawalpindi when he was summoned for a meeting by a senior military official.

The move, prompted by allegations of misconduct levelled by the owner of a private housing society, shattered the long-standing perception that spy chiefs were untouchable in the country where generals have long wielded unparalleled influence.

The army had cited a Nove­m­ber 2023 directive from the Supreme Court, which instructed Ka­n­­war Moeez Khan, own­er of Islamabad’s Top City housing society, to seek redressal of grievances against Gen Hameed thro­ugh relevant channels, including the Ministry of Defence, as the basis for initiating action against the former spymaster.

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.

“[…] And 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),” it stated.

“During the process, involvement of Lt Gen Faiz Hamid (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 statement noted.

The May 9, 2023 incident refers to countrywide violent protests last year that were prompted by the arrest of former premier Imran Khan in a corruption case, during which approximately 40 public buildings and military installations were damaged.

“Lt Gen Faiz Hamid (Retd) is being afforded with all legal rights as per the law,” the ISPR said.

Meanwhile, Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq told Dawn.com that the former spymaster had engaged him as legal counsel. Ashfaq said he would represent Gen Hameed in the case proceedings which the ex-intelligence chief fully intended to contest.

On August 15, the military announc­­ed the arrest of three more retired officers in connection with court martial proceedings against former spymaster Hameed.

The ISPR had noted that more retired officers and their associates were being probed for allegedly inciting instability in collaboration with and on behalf of a political entity with vested interests.

The ISPR did not initially disclose the identities of the three officers who were taken into custody. However, media reports claimed they were identified as retired Brig Ghaffar, a former deputy director general for projects at ISI; retired Brig Naeem Fakhar, a former officer commanding; and retired Col Asim.

Brigadiers Ghaffar and Fakhar were also implicated in the SC petition filed by the owner of Top City Housing Society. The petition accused the two of extorting Rs40 million and coercing the sponsorship of a private TV channel.

At the time, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had hinted at more arrests, saying: “Investigations are underway in the Faiz case. More arrests are likely which can be in the army and elsewhere.”

In September, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had said court martial proceedings against Gen Hameed had been initiated based on “concrete evidence”.

In a separate case, the SC in October asked the Islamabad administration to provide a complete record of an illegal society in Sector C-12 called ‘Northridge Housing Society’, which allegedly encroached upon the Margala Hills National Park.

It sought the details after it was informed by the lawyer that the owners of this scheme had a close relationship with Gen Hameed.

The case against Gen Hameed

The management of Top City, a private housing scheme, had levelled grave allegations against Gen Hameed, claiming that he had orchestrated a raid on the offices and residence of its owner, Moeez Khan.

In November 2023, the SC had asked the owner of the housing society to approach the relevant quarters, including the defence ministry, for the redressal of his grievances against the former spymaster and his aides.

In its written order issued on Nov 14, 2023, the apex court had said: “The allegations are of an extremely serious nature, and if true, undoubtedly would undermine the reputation of the federal government, the armed forces, ISI, and Pakistan Rangers, therefore, they cannot be left unattended.”

In April this year, the military had reportedly formed an inquiry committee in April to investigate allegations of misuse of authority against the former ISI chief.

Media reports had said the committee was formed by the military as a gesture of self-accountability and was to be headed by a serving major general.

They had said the committee was formed in the light of directives of the SC and Ministry of Defence. The committee was to prepare its report in the light of its findings and present it to the relevant authorities, reports had said.

In March 2023, then-interior minister Rana Sanaullah had said a probe was underway against the ex-ISI boss and his brother over alleged corruption and accumulating assets beyond means.

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.

Reactions

Reacting to the development while speaking to Geo News, PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry said: “This charge sheet is not only against Faiz Hameed but the Imran-Faiz Nexus as well.”

He said that “it has been proven now that May 9 was not a protest but a rebellion and it involved both serving and former officers, it was a well thought out plan for rebellion.”

Chaudhry alleged that last month’s PTI protests were planned to sabotage the spymaster’s trial as “the PTI founder is part and parcel of this charge sheet”.

Senior journalist Shahzaib Khanzada, while speaking to Geo News, said that the development was “expected to come any day now,” especially after Gen Hameed was taken into custody previously.

“The accusations started with an issue pertaining to a housing society, and the charge sheet you see is a long one; being engaged in political activities, going against the Official Secrets Act, bringing loss to the state’s security and interests, misusing government resources, causing wrongful harm to the people.

“These are some accusations that will have a big implication not just for Gen Hameed but politically, too,” he said.

He went on to say that Gen Hameed was “safe right now”, but noted that the ISPR statement mentioned his involvement in inciting violence on May 9.

“Now, the May 9 accusations are obviously put on PTI, Imran was charge-sheeted with this in recent days. How was Faiz Hameed involved in the May 9 incidents? And if he was involved, was it through some collusion? What role did he play on May 9? These are important matters that will raise questions,” Khanzada said.

“PTI could have implications in this because in the past one and a half years, the events that happened were tragic, but nothing has been proved in court against the PTI leadership.

“That incident was definitely used for political objectives, and against PTI. Now, if Gen Hameed is involved in this, was he involved in this on his own? Was the PTI leadership also involved? These are questions, which, when the answer comes, will tell whether PTI is in danger or not.”

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan reiterated his previous remarks regarding the matter, saying that Gen Hameed’s trial was the military’s internal matter and had nothing to do with the party.

PTI Central Information Secretary Waqas Akram also termed the issue the army’s internal matter. However, he warned that the nation would never accept attempts to pursue action against Imran in the name of the former spymaster or any other individual.

Petition

As per the petition, on May 12, 2017, the Pakistan Rangers and officials of the ISI raided the office of Top City and Moeez’s residence and took away valuables, including gold and diamond ornaments and money, in connection with a purported terrorism case.

The petition further stated that Gen Hameed’s brother Sardar Najaf mediated and tried to resolve the issue. After his acquittal, the petition claimed, Gen Hameed contacted Moeez through the latter’s cousin — a brigadier in the army — to arrange a meeting.

The petition claimed that during the meeting, Gen Hameed told the petitioner that he would return some of the items taken away during the raid except for 400 tola gold and cash.

The petition claimed that retired brigadier Naeem Fakhar and retired brigadier Ghaffar of the ISI allegedly “forced” the petitioner to “pay 4 crores in cash” and “sponsor a private AAP TV network for a few months”.

As per the petition, former ISI officials Irtaza Haroon, Sardar Najaf, Wasim Tabish, Zahid Mehmood Malik, and Mohammad Munir were also “involved in the illegal takeover of the housing society”.

Appointment, retirement and controversial past

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, according to unnamed sources. He was made the ISI chief in June 2019.

He was the eye of the storm in an alleged standoff between the military and the PTI government over the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new chief of the ISI in the last quarter of 2021.

The army had announced on October 6, 2021, that Gen Hameed was appointed the Peshawar corps commander, while Lt Gen Anjum was appointed in his place. But the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had not issued an official notification of Lt Gen Anjum’s appointment until three weeks later, leading to frenzied speculation of strains in civil-military relations.

After delays, the PMO had eventually notified the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief on Oct 26, 2021. Imran had later said he never wanted to “bring his own army chief” and that he “never meddled” in Pakistan Army’s affairs.

Gen Hameed was among the six senior-most generals whose name was included by General Headquarters in the list of potential candidates for the two top military offices, sent to then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for approval in November 2022.

Before assuming charge as Bahawalpur corps commander, Gen Hameed had worked in the same position in Peshawar.

The former spymaster has been the subject of many controversies in the country’s political landscape for the past decade.

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”.

He had been the target of strong criticism from PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz for allegedly having a role in their convictions and for backing the previous set-up under PTI.

In July 2018, former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui had made serious allegations against personnel of a security agency, claiming that they were manipulating judicial proceedings. He also claimed the agencies approached the IHC chief justice to ensure Nawaz and Maryam remained behind bars for the elections. The judge was subsequently sacked.

However, in December 2023, he had named a number of retired army generals, as well as some former judges, as parties in the case against his removal.

Senior counsel Hamid Khan, on behalf of the ex-judge, had moved an amended application before the Supreme Court to name as respondents in his petition former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, Gen Hameed, three retired brigadiers — Irfan Ramay, Faisal Marwat and Tahir Wafai — as well as a former chief justice of the IHC, Anwar Khan Kasi, and former SC registrar Arbab Muhammad Arif.

Gen Hameed rejected the allegations of his involvement in the constitution of the IHC benches to prolong the detention of Nawaz and Maryam in his response to the petition, claiming that the judge had dragged him into the case for no reason.

Furthermore, then-human rights minister Riaz Pirzada claimed in February 2023 that Gen Hameed wanted to bring the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) back to the country.

In May 2023, former federal minister Faisal Vawda accused Gen Hameed of being the “architect, mastermind, and biggest beneficiary” of the Al-Qadir Trust case.

On Monday, Vawda alleged that the PTI was using its civil disobedience call as a tactic to influence legal proceedings against Gen Hameed.

Imran had previously distanced his party from Hameed, calling the issue the “army’s internal matter.”