Rise and fall of Faiz Hameed |
After a trial lasting for over fifteen months a field general court martial finally announced its decision convicting Lt-Gen. Faiz Hameed (R) and sentencing him to 14 years of rigorous im-prisonment. This conviction is on multiple charges including violation of the official secrets act, misuse of authority and political interference. He was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army in August 2024 against four charges, including engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act in a manner “detrimental to the safety and interest of the state”, mis-use of authority and government resources, and causing wrongful loss to individuals. This is an exceptional and a historic military court ruling because no general who has served as the top man in the ISI has ever been taken into custody or asked to answer for his doings as DG ISI. This conviction concerns two major political parties of the country that is the PTI and the PMLN and the military establishment. The general had a phenomenal and meteoric rise in the army and was a fiercely ambitious person who openly sought to be the chief of army staff Pakistan’s most powerful position and this attitude brought him in direct conflict with the current army high command as Faiz Hameed was one of the four or five generals aspiring to become the next army chief. The general’s troubles and eventual court martial began with the 2017 scandal concerning a........