A former intelligence chief on trial is a sign of Pakistan’s shifting sands

Something unthinkable has happened in Pakistan amid deepening political turmoil. A once powerful spy master and ‘kingmaker’ is now facing field court martial on sedition charges. General Faiz Hameed, a former chief of Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) who has been under detention for the past several months is now formally charged for engaging in unlawful activities detrimental to the safety and interests of the state. He is facing trial by a military court. 

This is the first high-profile sedition case involving a former top security official in a country that has been ruled by the military directly or indirectly for most of its history. It is also the sign of the shifting sands of Pakistani politics. The former intelligence chief is accused of “fomenting instability; at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests.” These are very serious charges and carry capital punishment. The timing of the trial makes the development more intriguing. What is more important is the message being conveyed.

Curiously, the military court started proceeding against the former spy chief days after the violent anti-government protests in Islamabad by the supporters of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan on November 26, which left dozens of people dead and wounded. It was perhaps the bloodiest day the capital has ever witnessed, with a number of protesters falling victim to gunshots allegedly fired by security forces. 

This is the first high-profile sedition case involving a former top security official in a country that has been ruled by the military directly or indirectly for most of its history.

Zahid Hussain

The bloody incident has worsened the standoff between the military backed dispensation and the opposition, pushing the country deeper into chaos. Many observers link the initiation of the General’s trial with the opposition’s protests. The charges of inciting violence against the state are extremely serious. 

To many, his close association in the past as the intelligence chief with the former prime minister is seen as a reason behind his arrest and trial. It may also seem to some a politically motivated case instead of what is being described as one driven by the military’s ‘tough internal accountability process.’

A military spokesman said the former intelligence chief is also being investigated for his alleged involvement in the countrywide violent protests on May 9 last year, in the aftermath of the arrest of Imran Khan. The mob attacked dozens of military installations including the corps commander residence in Lahore and the army’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi. 

While scores of PTI supporters were arrested and are being tried by military court, the violence also led to a widespread purge in the army. According to a military spokesman, more than one hundred army officers including the corps commander Lahore were sacked or investigated for their alleged role in the May 9 incident. The incident happened just months after General Hameed’s retirement. He quit the army after he lost the race for the position of army chief. He was reportedly under surveillance since then.

A highly controversial former intelligence chief, General Hameed had been under the spotlight for quite some time even when he was in service. He was being investigated in connection with a housing scheme scandal, but allegations pertaining to activities post-retirement appear more serious. He has also been charged for misuse of authority and violating the Army Act. 

Faiz Hameed has been in the limelight since 2017 as a two-star general and in charge of internal political affairs in the ISI. He was later promoted as head of the spy agency in 2019 during Imran Khan’s government. It was also in 2017 that he was allegedly involved in the housing society scandal. He was accused of orchestrating raids on the offices and residences of the owners of the housing scheme. This would indeed constitute criminal misuse of authority but there was no ‘internal accountability process’ initiated against him then. Instead, he was elevated to three-star rank and appointed ISI chief. 

He was all-powerful during Khan’s government. The former prime minister later admitted that he relied on the intelligence apparatus for everything — from propping up a fragile coalition government to taming the opposition. That was the reason Khan didn’t want the General to leave his post in 2021. 

But the General was not unique. Historically, the office of spy chief in the country makes any incumbent all-powerful and most previous chiefs have also been accused of political engineering. General Hameed reflected what has been taking place within the security establishment, which has been increasingly involved in the power game. His case is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg. The General is a product of the system that allowed him sweeping powers. 

However, it remains apparent that even though the sands may be shifting, it’s not accountability for his misdeeds causing his trial, but yet again, the winds of political motivation. 

– Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson Centre and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in DC. He is author of Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with Militant Islam and The Scorpion’s tail: The relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan. Frontline Pakistan was the book of the year (2007) by the WSJ. His latest book ‘No-Win War’ was published this year. X: @hidhussain