In a rare conviction, former spymaster Faiz Hameed was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years rigorous imprisonment under the Army Act.
Hameed, who served as the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from 2019 to 2021, was under trial since August last year.
The statement released by the military’s media affairs wing stated Hameed was found guilty of charges related to engaging in political activities, violation of the Official Secret Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources and causing wrongful loss to persons.
However, his troubles may not be over as the statement added that his “involvement of [the] convict in fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cohorts with political elements and in certain other matters is separately being dealt with”.
Here is what analysts and politicians have to say.
‘Took political engineering to its peak’
Senior journalist Shahzeb Khanzada, while speaking to Geo News, was of the opinion that “Pakistan has always had a problem of political engineering, but Faiz Hameed took it to its peak”.
“He set a precedent for manipulating the judiciary,” Khanzada said, recalling the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The journalist also held Hameed responsible for “harming the country, democracy, media, judiciary, and his own institution”.
Khanzada noted that out of the four charges mentioned in the statement released by the ISPR today, “legal proceedings against him regarding his involvement in politics remain to be seen”.
“Faiz Hameed is a character in Pakistan’s history who left no stone unturned in harming the country, democracy, and in misusing his authority,” Khanzada added.
‘Good beginning’
Journalist Mubashir Zaidi, reacting to the decision, said that Hameed’s conviction was a “good beginning”.
“Life sentencing of former ISI chief Gen Faiz Hameed for involvement in politics is a good beginning. There shouldn’t be any room for the military’s involvement in politics,” he said.
‘Ominous and critical’
Meanwhile, journalist Khurram Husain termed the last paragraph in ISPR’s press release “critical and ominous”.
The paragraph states that the former spymaster’s involvement in “fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cohorts with political elements and in certain other matters is separately being dealt with”.
According to Husain, “It could point towards using Faiz Hameed’s testimony to convict [former prime minister] Imran Khan on charges of conspiring to incite mutiny within the armed forces.”
‘Historic decision’
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed the sentencing of the ex-spymaster a “historic decision”.
Speaking to the media in Chiniot, he said Hameed was “today being held answerable for his crimes”.
Mentioning Hameed’s alleged “interference [in politics]” and “irresponsible acts”, he said that if today’s decision was implemented, it would be a “clear message that such mistakes will not be committed again”.
