The PTI on Wednesday demanded an open trial in the court martial proceedings against former spymaster general (retired) Faiz Hameed, who was arrested earlier this month in connection with a housing program scam, citing PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated.
Imran had stated on Monday that he was being pressured to turn approver against the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to clear the path for his trial in a military court regarding the May 9 riots. The problem was also referred to as “the army’s internal matter” by Imran.
“I request that Gen Asim Munir, the army chief, hold a public trial for Gen Faiz Hameed if he was the main conspirator in the May 9 conspiracy,” Imran wrote on X, according to a post cited by the PTI. Imran was alleged to have stated, “Open trial will bring forward the evidence,” and expressed confidence that the matter would be decided “in a closed room” rather than through an open trial. An additional remark from the former prime minister stated that all of the allegations against him had “collapsed.”
According to another post, the PTI chairman stated: “They want to take me towards military action because they know that all the cases against me that are left have been quashed.” The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced Gen. Faiz’s arrest on August 12 for allegedly breaking the Army Act, a move that was previously unheard of.
In a nation where generals have long held unmatched power, the action broke the long-standing belief that spy chiefs were untouchable. It was spurred by accusations of misbehavior made by the owner of a private housing society.
The ISPR used a Supreme Court directive from November 2023 as justification for taking legal action against the former spymaster. The directive told Khan Moeez Khan, the owner of Islamabad’s Top City housing society, to take legal action against Gen Faiz by redressing his grievances through the appropriate channels, including the Ministry of Defence.
Three more retired officers were detained by the military for “their actions prejudicial to military discipline,” according to information obtained by the ISPR a few days later. Attaullah Tarar, the minister of information, had also alluded to the possibility of additional arrests about Gen. Faiz’s court-martial.
