14-Year Jail Term for Ex-ISI Chief Faiz Hameed Signals Deep Rift in Pakistan Army
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Former ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed has been sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by a military court of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir. This is being seen as a major sign of deep divisions within the Pakistan Army.
A field general court-martial was started against Faiz Hameed on 12 August 2024 under the Pakistan Army Act, and the process went on for almost 15 months. It is notable that in 2021, when the Taliban returned to power, Faiz Hameed was the one who went to Kabul to welcome them.
Hameed was widely known to be a close associate of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been serving multiple sentences on corruption and other charges since his arrest in 2023.
Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, and since then he has been openly criticising the military, current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the United States for his removal.
While Imran Khan was Prime Minister, he wanted Faiz Hameed to become Army Chief after Qamar Javed Bajwa. But due to internal politics within the Pakistan Army, the opposite happened and Asim Munir was appointed Army Chief.
Faiz Hameed faced trial on four charges:
Involvement in political activities,
Violating the Official Secrets Act, causing harm to the state’s security and interests,
Misuse of authority and government resources,
and wrongfully harming other individuals.
After a long and detailed legal hearing, the accused was found guilty on all charges, and the court sentenced him to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment. This judgment was issued on 11 December 2025.
The Field General Court-Martial followed all legal procedures. The accused was given all legal rights, including the right to have a defence team of his choice. He also has the right to appeal before the appropriate forum.
His involvement in other cases; such as creating political unrest and colluding with certain political groups, is being investigated separately.