Court Martial of Former Spymaster
For the first time in Pakistan’s history, authorities have initiated a court martial against a former intelligence chief. Military officials took Faiz Hameed. The former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence is in custody. and the court martial process has started. According to a statement from the army’s media wing on Monday.
Disciplinary action
The statement confirmed that Faiz Hameed faces disciplinary action under the Pakistan Army Act. Multiple violations of the Army Act, committed after his retirement, have also been identified. As a result, the Field General Court Martial has been initiated, and Hameed remains in military custody.
The Top City housing scheme scandal
The Top City housing scheme scandal lies at the heart of the charges. Top City’s management accused Hameed of orchestrating a raid on the offices and residence of its owner, Moeez Khan. The accusations, which surfaced in November 2023,. It led the Supreme Court to direct Moeez to seek redress from relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Defense.
Interior Minister
By March 2023, then-Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed an investigation. Hameed and his brother over corruption and allegations of accumulating assets beyond their means. In March 2024, a Rawalpindi court sent Hameed’s brother, retired naib tehsildar Najaf Hameed, to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand for his involvement in the scandal. Najaf, along with several co-accused, had sought pre-arrest bail after being named in an Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) FIR.
The petition against Hameed
The petition against Hameed and his associates outlined grave allegations. It stated that in May 2017, Pakistan Rangers and ISI officials raided Top City’s offices and Moeez Khan’s home, seizing valuables, including gold, diamonds, and cash. According to the petition, Hameed’s brother mediated the situation but failed to resolve it completely. Later, Hameed himself allegedly offered to return some items from the raid, excluding 400 tolas of gold and a significant sum of money.
Implicated former ISI officials,
Further allegations in the petition implicated former ISI officials, including Brigadier Naeem Fakhar and Brigadier Ghaffar, who reportedly pressured Moeez to pay 4 crore rupees and sponsor a private TV network. Other former ISI personnel, such as Irtaza Haroon and Sardar Najaf, were also accused of illegal involvement in the housing society’s takeover.