Former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed gets 14 years in jail after a military court finds him guilty of secrecy violations, political interference and abuse of power, signalling Pakistan Army’s tightening grip.
New Delhi: Pakistan has once again proven that no one—not even its most powerful generals—is safe when they fall out of line with the military high command. The 14-year jail term handed to former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) for violating state secrets and abusing his authority is more than a punishment; it is a warning shot fired across the ranks of anyone who dares to hold divergent views in a country where the Army, not the Constitution, decides the future.
A Trial Pakistan Calls ‘Legal Process’—But Critics Call Political Cleansing
The military court’s trial began on August 12, 2024, dragging on for 15 months before the verdict was “promulgated on December 11, 2025.”
The ISPR claimed: “The accused (Faiz Hameed, who served during the tenure of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan) was tried on four charges related to engaging in political activities, violation of the Official Secret Act detrimental to the safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources and causing wrongful loss to persons."
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Observers familiar with Pakistan’s power structure say the country has often used such charges selectively, typically targeting individuals who fall out of favour with the Army.
"After lengthy and laborious legal proceedings, (the) accused has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by the court," the statement said.
It added that an accusation of "fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cohorts with political elements... is separately being dealt with".
A System Designed to Eliminate Opponents, Not Deliver Justice
To understand this, Asianet Newsable English spoke to geostrategic and security expert Major General Sudhakar Jee (Retd), who minced no words in describing what is happening in Pakistan today.
He sees it as an incremental approach to restore Pakistan Army’s supremacy by a Constitutional Coup.
“Pakistan is removing those from public memory by incremental steps - 14 years of imprisonment, then change of location of jail - out of public view, then neutralize – first former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan followed by Gen Faiz,” Sudhakar Jee said.
Asim Munir’s, Pakistan: Judiciary Bent, Constitution Rewritten
Sudhakar Jee warns that Pakistan’s entire judicial structure has been forcibly bent to serve one man—Field Marshal Asim Munir, now described by analysts as the most powerful unelected figure in the country.
He states:
“Systematic ‘Subjugation of Judiciary’ to Army’s supremacy led by Field Marshal Asim Munir, the most powerful chief of defence forces in the world with eternal legal immunity against criminal prosecution with no accountability to pillars of democracy, including legislature, executive, judiciary and media that hardly exists in Pakistan today with the Constitution Amendment 27 and with Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) button under his finger."
Sudhakar Jee adds:
“All these are manifestation of gradual loss of independence of Judiciary, as a consequence of marginalization of the Supreme Court with the creation of Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) as per Constitutional Amendment 27 and induction of executives into the judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) as per constitution Amendment 26 in November 2024."
Pakistan, in effect, has turned its judiciary into yet another branch of military control.
“The JCP had been introduced in 2010 with the Constitution Amendment 18 simply to enhance the independence of Pakistan’s Judiciary. The same has been undone by the latest Amendment of the Constitution,” the retired Major General added.
Why Was Faiz Hameed Really Targeted?
It is important to note that Gen Faiz Hameed was widely regarded as close to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail on multiple charges since 2023.
Hameed himself was arrested last year following a Supreme Court–ordered internal investigation into allegations related to the Top City project scam, a private housing development near Islamabad.
Experts suggest that another factor behind his imprisonment may have been his appointment as ISI chief in 2019, which came after the removal of the current Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
