Pakistan’s former spy chief has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by a military court, on charges including violation of state secrets and interfering in politics.
Faiz Hameed led Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from 2019 to 2021, during the tenure of now-jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
He was known to be a staunch supporter of Khan, and took early retirement shortly after Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022.
It is the first time that an ISI chief in Pakistan has been court martialled. His lawyer said he plans to appeal against the verdict.
The ISI chief is seen as the second most powerful position in Pakistan’s military.
According to a press release issued by the public relations arm of Pakistani military (ISPR), the 15-month-long court martial proceeding began on August 12, 2024, under the Pakistan Army Act.
Hameed was tried on four charges, including “involvement in political activities, violation of the Official Secrets Act which harmed the interest of the state, misuse of his powers and government resources, and causing harm to citizens”.
The ISPR statement added that Hameed had been given “the right to have a defence team of his choice” and that he has the right to appeal the decision in the “appropriate forum”, which would be the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The exact details of the case are not public as the hearing was held behind closed doors in a military court.
The statement says that Hameed’s alleged involvement in fomenting political agitation and instability is being dealt with separately.
This is assumed to be regarding allegations that Hameed was tied to protests against Imran Khan’s arrest on 9 May 2023.
Hameed’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, said his client was “1,000% innocent, but this is the court’s decision”.
“We were unaware of the judgement and only found out through the ISPR’s press release. We are now applying to the relevant forum for a copy of the decision,” he told the BBC.
“As soon as we receive it, we will review it and immediately file a petition to appeal. Right now, the first forum for appeal is the army chief, so that is what we will do. We are hopeful that at the next forum we will present our case and obtain justice.”
