How a housing scheme scam led to ex-Pakistan ISI chief Faiz Hameed's arrest

Former Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Faiz Hameed was taken into military custody by Pakistani authorities on Monday, and the process of his court martial was initiated in connection with a housing scheme scandal, Dawn reported, citing the Pakistan Army's media wing. 

According to the report, this is the first time in Pakistan's history that a court martial has been initiated against a former intelligence chief. 

Faiz Hameed, a retired three-star general of the Pakistan Army, served as the 24th DG of the ISI from 2019 till 2022. 

Why has ex-ISI DG Faiz Hameed been arrested? 

Quoting a press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Dawn said that a detailed court of inquiry was undertaken by the Pakistan Army, in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, to ascertain the "correctness of complaints in (the) Top City case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd)". 

 

The ISPR release added that consequently, "appropriate disciplinary action" has been initiated against Hameed, under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act. 

The ISPR further said that additionally, multiple instances of violation of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement have been established against Hameed. "The process of Field General Court Martial has been initiated and Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) has been taken into military custody," added the release. 

According to Dawn, the Pakistani military had formed an inquiry committee in April to investigate the allegations of misuse of authority against Hameed. 

In a written order issued on November 14, Pakistan's Supreme Court had said that the allegations of an "extremely serious nature" against Hameed "cannot be left unattended" because, if they were proven to be true, they would undermine the reputation of Pakistan's institutions, including the country's federal government, armed forces, ISI, and Pakistan Rangers. 

What are the allegations against ex-ISI DG Faiz Hameed? 

The management of Top City, which is a private housing scheme, had reportedly levelled allegations against the former ISI DG, claiming that Hameed had orchestrated a raid on the residence and offices of its owner, Moeez Khan. 

Citing the petition, Dawn reported that on May 12, 2017, the Pakistan Rangers and ISI officials had raided the office of Top City and Moeez's residence. They reportedly took away valuables, including gold, diamond jewellery, and money, in relation to a purported terrorism case.   

The petition alleged that Hameed's brother, retired naib tehsildar Najaf Hameed, attempted to resolve the issue. The petition claimed that after his acquittal, Moeez was contacted by Hameed through the former's cousin -- a brigadier in the army -- to arrange a meeting. 

According to the petition, during this meeting, Hameed told the petitioner that he would return only some of the items taken away during the raid. Hameed allegedly said that he would not return 400 tola gold and cash taken during the raid. 

The petition also claimed that ISI officials -- retired brigadier Naeem Fakhar and retired brigadier Ghaffar -- "forced" the petitioner to "pay 4 crores (Pakistani rupee) in cash" and "sponsor a private AAP TV network for a few months". 

According to the petition, other former ISI officials -- Irtaza Haroon, Sardar Najaf, Zahid Mehmood Malik, Wasim Tabish, and Mohammad Munir -- were also "involved in the illegal takeover of the housing society". 

In March last year, the then-interior minister of Pakistan, Rana Sanaullah, had also said that an investigation was underway against the former ISI chief and his brother in relation to alleged corruption and accumulation of assets beyond means. 

In March this year, a court in Rawalpindi sent Hameed's brother, Najaf Hameed, to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. 

Ex-ISI DG Faiz Hameed's controversial past 

Hameed, who had opted for early retirement and sent his resignation in November 2022, is no stranger to controversy. 

As explained by the Dawn report, Hameed was at the centre of an alleged standoff between the Pakistani military and then prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government over the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief in the last quarter of 2021. 

Hameed had also been the target of sharp criticism from Pakistan Muslim League (N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, for allegedly playing a role in their convictions and for backing the previous set-up under the PTI. 

In 2018, a former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge made allegations against Pakistani security agency personnel, claiming that they were manipulating judicial proceedings. The former judge, who was sacked after his complaint, had also claimed that the agencies had approached the IHC chief justice to ensure that Nawaz and Maryam remained behind bars during the elections. 

An amended application, moved before the Supreme Court on behalf of the ex-judge, named former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, Hameed, three retired brigadiers, a former IHC chief justice, and a former Supreme Court registrar as respondents. 

For his part, Hameed rejected the allegations that he had been involved in the constitution of the IHC benches to prolong Nawaz and Maryam's detention, and claimed that the former judge had dragged him into the case without reason.   

In May last year, former Pakistani federal minister Faisal Vawda also accused Hameed of being the "architect, mastermind, and biggest beneficiary" of the Al-Qadir Trust case, under which it has been alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife illegally obtained billions of Pakistani Rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd.