Islamabad: In an unprecedented move, the Pakistan army on Monday announced that it has arrested former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed and initiated court martial proceedings against him in connection with a housing scheme scam. “Following the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed investigation was conducted by the Pakistan army to ascertain the veracity of the complaints made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd) in the ‘Top City’ case,” the army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
It said, “As a result, appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed (Retd) under the provisions of the Pakistan Army Act.” “Furthermore, several cases of violation of Pakistan Military Act after retirement have also come to light. The process of Field General Court Martial has been initiated and Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed (Retd) has been taken into military custody,” the statement said. Lt Gen (Retd) Hameed was considered extremely powerful when he headed the spy agency from 2019 to 2021.
He was appointed to this prestigious post when the then ISI chief and current Army Chief Lieutenant General Asim Munir was removed from the post prematurely. There were reports then that the then Prime Minister Imran Khan was not happy with Munir. Later, the army decided to replace Hameed, which Imran Khan strongly opposed and it is believed that this was the beginning of sourness in his relations with the powerful army. The ‘Top City’ case came into the limelight when on November 8, 2023, Top City owner Moiz Ahmed Khan filed a petition in the Supreme Court accusing Hameed of misusing his position. He said in the petition that on May 12, 2017, at the behest of General Hameed, ISI officials raided the ‘Top City’ office and his house and seized valuables including gold, diamonds and money.
He also said that Hameed’s brother Sardar Najaf also later approached him to resolve the issue. The petition also claimed that later General Hameed met him personally to resolve the issue. He alleged that ISI officials extorted Rs 4 crore in cash from him. Hameed left the army prematurely in November 2022, four months before his retirement date, after the current army chief took over. He was considered close to the then army chief General Qamar Bajwa. The post of ISI chief is considered one of the most important posts in the Pakistani army.
