Islamabad: Lieutenant General (Retd) Faiz Hameed is considered one of the most powerful heads in the history of Pakistan’s ISI. Before becoming the Director General of ISI, he held the crucial and influential position of DG-C within the same agency.
Lieutenant General (Retd) Faiz Hameed served as the Director General of ISI from 2019 to 2021. He came into the global spotlight in 2021 when, after the withdrawal of U.S. and Western forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban, he was filmed drinking tea in the lobby of a hotel in Kabul.
Unlike other ISI chiefs, General Faiz Hameed was often in the headlines because he did not shy away from publicity.
He was considered close to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and his close relationship with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was seen as a major reason for the strain in civil-military relations.
Some analysts suggest that the arrest and subsequent court-martial of General Faiz Hameed is not good news for Imran Khan, as he may now face more legal challenges.
It was widely reported in the media that Imran Khan wanted to appoint Faiz Hameed as the next Army Chief after the retirement of General (Retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa in November 2022.
However, General (Retd) Faiz Hameed, who was once a strong contender for the position of Chief of Army Staff, took early retirement just a few months after the fall of Imran Khan’s government. He was among the six generals whose names were sent by GHQ for the Army Chief’s position in 2022.
In Pakistan, the ISI Chief is generally considered the most powerful military officer after the Army Chief.
Faiz Hameed’s tenure as ISI Chief began after the sudden removal of then-ISI Chief and current Army Chief General Asim Munir, reportedly because he (General Asim Munir) had brought forward evidence of corruption involving Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and close associate Farah Gogi.
Imran Khan, whose government was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, claimed that the military was responsible for his removal, a charge the military denied.
Imran Khan led a campaign against the military, and his arrest on corruption charges in May 2023 sparked nationwide protests that turned violent, leading to attacks on military installations.
As a result, a severe crackdown was launched against Imran Khan’s party, which despite the obstacles, secured a majority of seats in the general elections held in February, even though many of its candidates were forced to contest as independents.