The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesperson stated on Thursday that the court-martial procedures against former spymaster Lt Gen (Retd) Faiz Hameed were started based on “concrete evidence” after a thorough investigation.
The Pakistan Army has no political agenda since it believes in self-accountability, according to ISPR Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who made this statement during a news conference in Rawalpindi.
The DG ISPR covered several topics in a 48-minute media briefing, including Pakistan-Afghanistan connections, military actions following the August 26 attacks in Balochistan, and Gen. Faiz’s court-martial as an illustration of the military’s self-accountability.
“On August 12, 2024, the Pakistan Army reported that the responsible officer, Gen. Faiz, had breached parts of the Army Act, following a thorough investigation based on tangible evidence.” He continued by saying that the field general court-martial procedures against the former spymaster were started when the army discovered that Gen Hameed, who was detained last month, had been involved in “several instances of violation of the Army Act.”
In a nation where generals have long had unmatched power, the action broke the long-standing belief that spy chiefs were untouchable. It was sparked by accusations of misbehavior against Hameed by the proprietor of a private housing society. “The Pakistan Army believes in self-accountability, and it is a very thorough, transparent, and tried-and-true process,” DG Chaudhry stated.
He explained in detail how the process operated based on verifiable facts, adding that “this robust process of self-accountability speedily comes into effect without any discrimination” if the army’s established laws and regulations were broken. He claimed that the Pakistan Army handled Gen. Hameed’s case because the Ministry of Defence “fully believed in the army’s accountability process.” As a result, the army issued an order for a “high-level court of inquiry” to look into the situation.
“The army is a national, state-owned institution that will not be used to further the objectives of particular political agendas; this is a widely held belief among its members.” He continued, saying, “It is important to know that the army’s process of self-accountability kicks into action if any person works for personal interest or forwards a specific political agenda for personal benefit.”
“The accusation is there on the retired officer that he crossed legal and constitutional bounds on the instruction of particular political elements for his interest,” the DG ISPR stated in response to a question later regarding the case of the former spymaster.
Regarding the legal action that had been brought against the officers who had broken army regulations, he stated that each officer had a legal right to the representation of their choice in court and the ability to file an appeal. The prosecution of General (Retd) Faiz Hameed demonstrates how seriously the Pakistan Army considers human rights breaches committed for political or personal advantage and how swiftly and impartially it responds to such crimes per the law.
“We anticipate that other institutions will be convinced by such non-discriminatory self-accountability as well.” The DG ISPR added that “no compromise of any kind will be done on the national security” and that the military forces were “well aware of their professional duties.” “A strong Pakistan is guaranteed by a secure Pakistan,” he said.
Attacks in Balochistan
The DG ISPR referred to the deadly terror acts that occurred in Balochistan on August 26 and said that they were carried out “on the directives of internal and external enemies and their enablers” to affect the peaceful atmosphere and development of Balochistan by focusing on innocent people.
DG Chaudhry recollected that in retaliation, the security forces killed 21 terrorists and murdered 14 security men. “We are aware that the people of Balochistan also experience a sense of deprivation and state coercion, which some elements take advantage of on orders from other sources. He continued, “They take advantage of it so that the process of public welfare and ongoing development could be impacted by fear and alarm.”
The perpetrators of the crimes and those who gave the orders “had no connection with Islam, humanity, Baloch tradition or actions,” the DG ISPR continued.
