Pakistan military court sentences ex-spy chief Faiz Hameed to 14 years in prison

Islamabad (AP): A military court on Thursday sentenced a former spy chief of Pakistan to 14 years in prison, more than a year after court-martial proceedings began against him on multiple charges, including engaging in political activities and violating the Official Secrets Act, the military said.

In a statement, it said the Field General Court Martial tried the former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence, retired Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, under the Pakistan Army Act during proceedings that lasted 15 months.

"The accused was tried on four charges related to engaging in political activities, violation of the Official Secrets Act detrimental to the safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources, and causing wrongful loss" to individuals, the statement said. It did not specify who suffered any such loss, however.

The military said the court found Hameed guilty on all charges after "lengthy and laborious" legal proceedings and sentenced him to 14 years of imprisonment. It said the court-martial followed all legal requirements and that Hameed was provided full rights of defence.

Hameed has the right to appeal the verdict before the relevant forum, it said.

The military provided no additional details, but Hameed was widely known to be a close associate to imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is serving multiple sentences on graft and other charges since he was arrested in 2023.

Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, and since then he had been publicly criticizing the military, current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the United States for his ouster. However, Sharif, the military and Washington have denied the allegation.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said the ruling against Hameed followed a lengthy investigation that gave the former ISI chief ample opportunity to defend himself.

"Faiz Hameed was found guilty on all four counts - misuse of office and state resources, violation of the Official Secrets Act, harming the public interest and engaging in politics," he told The Associated Press. "The decision signals the military leadership's intent that no officer, regardless of rank, will be allowed to engage in politics, and Hameed's case has been made an example for all retired officers."

Hameed was detained in 2024 following an internal probe ordered by Pakistan's Supreme Court into allegations linked to what became known as the Top City project scam. The Top City company had been developing land near Islamabad for a private housing project.Since his arrest, neither the military nor the government had publicly disclosed the specific charges against him.

The arrest of such a high-profile retired officer last year surprised many in Pakistan, where the army wields significant influence and where detentions of senior or former military officials are rare.