Islamabad: Three more retired officers were placed under arrest for conduct “prejudicial to the military discipline” in relation to the continuing court martial proceedings of former spymaster Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, the military’s media wing revealed on Thursday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement hinted at future arrests by saying, “Further investigations of certain retired officers and their accomplices for fomenting instability at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests are continuing.”
The identities and ranks of the detained officers were not disclosed by the military’s media arm, however some sources suggested that two of the men were retired brigadiers and one was a colonel. According to sources, General Faiz, the former Director General of ISI, regarded all of them as close confidantes.
Read More: Faiz Hameed refutes accusations of attempting to sway the judiciary
A day after Army Chief Gen. Syed Asim Munir invited retired army officers—including several former chiefs—to speak with them in confidence regarding the recent activities, word broke of additional arrests. General (retd) Ashfaq Pervaz Kayani and General (retd) Raheel Sharif were among the former army chiefs who attended the event held by the current army commander. However, several names were noticeably absent, notably General Munir’s immediate predecessor, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to certain sources, General Bajwa was not present in the nation to refute any notion that his nonattendance was connected to the continuing enquiries about General Faiz.
Only a few days had passed since the nation’s former spymaster was taken into custody by military forces and faced court martial procedures due to allegations of corruption, abuse of power, and breaking the Pakistan Army Act, which is a first for the nation.
“The Pakistan Army conducted a thorough court of inquiry in accordance with the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives to determine whether the complaints made against Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed in the Top City matter were accurate. According to the Pakistan Army Act, the retired general has been subject to proper disciplinary procedure, which was started on Monday, according to a statement released by the military’s media wing.
Furthermore, several documented cases of post-retirement violations of the Pakistan Army Act have also been revealed. Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed has been placed under military arrest and the Field General Court Martial process has begun’, the statement continued.
Read More: Three Retired Officers in Military Custody Amid Case Against Former ISI Chief: ISPR
It is thought to be strange that the former spymaster was not only detained but also that court martial procedures had been filed against him, considering his influential role as the head of the ISI. Gen. Faiz was charged in May 2017 while serving as the ISI’s DG-C.
A high-level inquiry team led by a major general was established by the army in April to investigate the accusations made against Gen. Faiz.
The Supreme Court’s orders and the Ministry of Defense’s guidelines were taken into consideration when the investigation was mandated.
Against Gen. Faiz, who resigned in November 2022, four months ahead of his retirement date, this was the first official investigation that had been requested. After serving as the ISI’s DG-C, Gen. Faiz became the organization’s director. Numerous scandals involving him occurred, such as the Faizabad Dharna case. In a Supreme Court ruling, three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif identified him and Gen. Bajwa as the primary culprits behind his ouster.
Charges directed at Faiz
Top City’s owner, Moeez Ahmed Khan, accused Gen. Faiz of abusing his power in a Supreme Court case he filed on November 8, 2023.
According to Moeez’s Supreme Court appeal, ISI agents searched his home and top city office on May 12, 2017, at General Faiz Hameed’s request. The petitioner claimed that during the operation, ISI agents took money, gold, and diamonds from the residence.
The petition further claimed that he later met with Gen. Faiz in person to settle the dispute, during which he gave him the assurance that some of the things that the ISI officials had taken during the raid would be given back. He will not receive his 400 tolas of gold and money back, though.
There is sufficient evidence against the former espionage chief, as evidenced by the fact that court martial proceedings have already started against Gen Faiz.
According to some accounts, Gen. Faiz’s post-retirement activities can link former prime minister Imran Khan to other instances.
On Thursday, the imprisoned leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Gen. Faiz, disassociated himself from the ongoing court martial procedures.
Khan, though, said the former head of ISI was a wasted “asset”.
He said that the military is looking into General Faiz during a casual discussion with reporters on Thursday at Adiala Jail. “It’s their internal matter, what do I have to do with it?”
He went on to say that everyone need to be held accountable if General Faiz Hameed was being held responsible.
He further asserted that Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif asked the former army chief to remove General Faiz.
General Bajwa and Imran Khan reportedly got into a furious argument about General Faiz Hameed’s dismissal.