Ex-ISI chief Faiz Hameed in trouble as Pakistan Army orders probe against him for misusing authority

The Pakistan Army has set up a major general-headed inquiry panel to look into the allegations against Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed that he as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general misused his authority, according to a report on Thursday.

According to The Express Tribune newspaper, the inquiry has been ordered as per the orders of the Supreme Court and in the light of the directives of the Ministry of Defence.

This marks the first formal investigation initiated against Gen Faiz, who stepped down from his position in November 2022, just four months before his scheduled retirement.

Faiz, who previously served as the Director-General of Counter Intelligence in the ISI and later headed the spy agency, has been embroiled in various controversies, notably the Faizabad Dharna case.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has implicated him, along with former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, as pivotal figures in his ousting via a Supreme Court decree.

Although Faiz was exonerated in the Faizabad Dharna case by an inquiry commission, the army has commenced an investigation following allegations from a housing society owner, who accused him of unlawfully raiding his residence and pilfering valuables.

Reports indicate that the Pakistan Army has opted for a comprehensive, high-level institutional inquiry into all these matters, underscoring its commitment to the accountability process.

A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted under a major general, which will look at every aspect related to this matter in detail, the report quoted sources as saying.

On November 8, 2023, Moeez Ahmed Khan, the owner of Top City, filed a petition in the Supreme Court in which he accused Faiz of misusing his authority.

The petition stated that on May 12, 2017, at the behest of Gen Faiz, ISI officials raided his Top City office and house.

During the raid, valuables, including gold, diamonds and money, were seized from the house by ISI officials, the petitioner alleged.

The petition also stated that Sardar Najaf, the brother of Faiz, also contacted him to resolve the issue later.

The petition also claimed that Gen Faiz later personally met him to resolve the issue and assured him that some of the items, which had been taken away by the ISI officials during the raid, would be returned.

However, 4.67 kg of gold and cash weren’t returned to him.

The petitioner also alleged that the ISI officials extorted Pakistani Rs 4 crore cash from him.
Considering the sensitivity of the matter and given these serious allegations, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which included Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faiz Isa, Justice Attar Minullah and Justice Aminuddin, heard the case.

The Supreme Court observed that this was a very serious matter and the serious nature of allegations may damage the image of the entire institution, therefore the matter cannot be ignored.

The Supreme Court asked the attorney general to look into the matter and discuss it with the relevant authorities.

The attorney general assured the apex court that full cooperation would be given to the matter and action would be taken according to law, the report said.

With inputs from agencies