The initiation of court martial proceedings against former Director General of the ISI, Lt General (r) Faiz Hameed, marks the first time that such action has been initiated against a former spymaster of the Pakistani military.
The announcement of the court martial came in a quiet and professional manner through a press release of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing of the armed forces. It did not shy away from providing a reason, explaining that an inquiry committee had been formed in April to investigate allegations of misuse of authority against the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The former DG ISI has also been taken into custody, indicating the urgency of the matter.
At the centre of the court martial is a scandal involving a real estate project by the name of Top City Housing, where the former general allegedly used his influence to conduct a raid on the offices of the housing society where his brother was an investor, and also conducted a raid on the home of the society’s owner Moeez Khan.
Back in November 2023, the matter had been taken up by the Supreme Court of Pakistan after the retirement of the spymaster. The SC had asked the owner of a private housing society to approach the relevant quarters, including the defence ministry, for the redressal of grievances against former spymaster retired Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed and his aides.
By their own account, the army has initiated court martial proceedings against the retired general to comply with orders of the SC and in part as a gesture of self-accountability. The inquiry committee that was set up in April and reportedly led by a Major General has up until this point conducted its duty with transparency and clarity.
The public has been kept informed in a sober manner of any updates, and action has been relatively quick. Even in its press release, the ISPR was clear and concise. This sets a good precedence in the country not just for upholding judicial instructions and accountability, but also transparency. It would be wise to continue to take the public into confidence as the case proceeds, because public accountability also requires a good degree of transparency.
