A Pakistani military court sentenced former intelligence chief Faiz Hameed to 14 years imprisonment on charges of espionage and abuse of power, according to a press release by the media and public relations division of Pakistan’s army on Thursday.
According to the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Field General Court Martial found Hameed guilty on four charges, namely engaging in political activities, misuse of authority and government resources, causing wrongful loss to persons, and violating the Official Secrets Act. The mentioned act is an anti-espionage law that protects government secrets and seeks to avert threats from foreign States.
The ISPR noted that the court martial respected all of Hameed’s legal rights, and complied with all legal provisions. It further indicated that additional charges against Hameed, such as involvement in orchestrating agitation and instability in collaboration with political actors, are under separate investigation.
Proceedings against the former intelligence chief began in August 2024, when he was taken into military custody under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act. According to news outlets, the government established a special inquiry committee to investigate allegations of misuse of authority against Hameed. In December 2024, a military court formally indicted Hameed.
Hameed formerly served as the director-general of Inter-Services Intelligence, the principal military intelligence agency of Pakistan, before opting for early retirement in December 2022. He is widely regarded as having affiliations with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, which was established by former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The latter was removed from office in 2022 following a parliamentary vote of no confidence. In 2023, Khan was arrested on charges of corruption associated with the Al-Qadir Trust case. This arrest triggered widespread protests across Pakistan, which were met with a violent governmental crackdown. Since his detention in 2023, Imran Khan has remained incarcerated, serving a cumulative sentence of 48 years for various convictions of corruption and treason, charges he described as politically motivated.
Numerous critics have expressed concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the expanding authority of the military in Pakistan, particularly in the context of a proposed constitutional amendment that would confer additional powers to the Chief of Army Staff. Additional concerns have been raised about the escalation of mass surveillance and censorship throughout the country, which Amnesty International finds has been facilitated by a network of companies based abroad.
