Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 06:34 pm
Islamabad: Retired Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, former DG of the Inter-Services Intelligence, has been investigated by the Pakistan Army over allegations against him by the owner of a private housing society.
Sources close to the development have said the military has set up a probe committee, led by a Major General, to investigate the allegations leveled against Lt. Gen. (R) Faiz Hameed, under a directive given by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Background of the Inquiry
The petition was based on the contention of the housing society’s owner that, in May 2017, officials of the Pakistan Rangers and ISI conducted a raid on the office of the society and a residence there. The same was done in the alleged pursuit of terror activities and resulted, inter alia, in the recovery of gold, diamonds, and cash worth millions of rupees.
The petitioner also claimed that after acquittal in the case, there were attempts from Lt. Gen. Hameed’s brother to reconcile the matter. It has been further alleged that it is only later that Lt. Gen. Hameed communicated through an army brigadier to give back the seized articles, but to keep majority gold and cash. He also accused some of the retired ISI officials of forcing him to pay an amount of Rs 0.3 billion and sponsor a private television network.
Court Proceedings and Supreme Court’s Involvement
It was mentioned during the hearing that the matter had already been disposed of by the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court. The then Chief Justice Saqib Nisar had ordered to burn the relevant record of the case. At one point, the Supreme Court indicated that the petitioner should go and avail themselves of the available legal remedy for redress of their grievance, meaning civil or criminal courts could try the malicious prosecution.
The court also marked a number of anomalies in the way cases related to the housing scheme were handled during the tenure of former chief justice Saqib Nisar.
Lt. Gen. (R) Faiz Hameed Cleared in Faizabad Dharna Case
In a separate development, on April 16, an inquiry commission investigating the 2017 Faizabad dharna incident cleared Lt. Gen. (R) Faiz Hameed and former Punjab Rangers Director General Major General (R) Azhar Naveed Hayat of any irregularities.
The single-member commission, formed upon the sit-in led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi by the Supreme Court, has failed to find evidence to corroborate the allegations of money being distributed amongst the protestors by the retired military officers.
The hearing found that Lt. Gen. Hameed — then heading the ISI’s counter-intelligence wing — had been tasked by the then-Army Chief and ISI Director General to play the role of an arbitrator and ink a deal that helped the protesters disperse. The agreement was signed with the approval of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
The report contained statements from Abbasi and Shehbaz Sharif, Iqbal among others, against whom legal action was called for in reinstatement of cases against TLP regarding the dharna incident. The report, comprising 149 pages, also deals with other aspects of the protest.
