Breaking: Ex-ISI chief Faiz Hamid taken into custody by military: ISPR

[Mr X]

if they don’t catch him, people complain that they never catch generals. If they do catch him people complain that it will be against Imran Khan.

I think IK and Asim Munir will soon make a deal

 

[shabi]

The dilemma is if General Faiz is really found guilty and convicted of what he is accused of, this will set a precedent for conviction of many others as there are several more who have done or are accused of still doing similar acts. This case will either go no where and put on backburner once political motive achieved/failed or end ugly and haunt the military for a very long time.

 

[Taimoor]

if they don’t catch him, people complain that they never catch generals. If they do catch him people complain that it will be against Imran Khan.

I think IK and Asim Munir will soon make a deal

Khawaja Asif of all people, made a statement about Faiz and next think we know, Faiz is nabbed. This all topi drama about "financial irregularities" is just smoke screen, reasons are political. And the fact that head of snake, Bajwa is scot free , thats all you need to know.

 

[maverick]

All drama to put Imran khan on another fabricated case of corruption, this time might charge with treason.. Estab case will backfire, as they cant just convict imran khan they have to convict General Faiz as well.. and if they did pandora box will open up and Final seal on military convictions will start happening

 

[Circadian Rhythm]

if they don’t catch him, people complain that they never catch generals. If they do catch him people complain that it will be against Imran Khan.

I think IK and Asim Munir will soon make a deal

General Munir is Riding A Tiger

It is Hard to Stop now

 

[PK784]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/world/asia/faiz-hameed-spy-chief-arrested-pakistan-imran-khan.html

Pakistan’s Ex-Spy Chief, an Imran Khan Ally, Is Arrested​

Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed is the first current or former head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency to face court-martial proceedings.

The Pakistani military announced on Monday that it had arrested the former head of its top intelligence agency, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, and initiated court-martial proceedings against the retired general on charges of corruption and political meddling, officials said.

His arrest is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a current or former chief of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, or I.S.I., has faced court-martial proceedings. It is widely seen as part of the latest crackdown on allies of the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who handpicked General Hameed to serve as spy chief during his tenure.

A news release from the Inter-Services Public Relations, or I.S.P.R., the military’s media wing, said Monday that disciplinary action has been taken against General Hameed under the Pakistan Army Act and that it relates to a 2017 scandal involving a private housing development in Islamabad. Officials have accused General Hameed and his brother of attempting to acquire ownership of the housing development by arresting and blackmailing its owner, according to court proceedings.

Officials also accused General Hameed of violating the Pakistan Army Act after retiring in 2022, according to the news release, though it did not specify the exact charges. The act prohibits officials from engaging in political activities for two years after retirement.
The Inter-Services Intelligence is one of Pakistan’s most potent and influential institutions, and General Hameed was once a symbol of unbending, daunting power in Pakistan, whose very public ambitions helped spawn the political crisis that has gripped Pakistan over the past two years.

For years at the spy agency, General Hameed maneuvered alongside Mr. Khan to become army chief — perhaps the most powerful position in Pakistan, where the military acts as the invisible hand guiding the country’s politics. Mr. Khan’s efforts to promote him to that role after he became prime minister in 2018 developed into a major point of friction between him and the military, eventually leading to Mr. Khan’s ouster in 2022.

The role of army chief in Pakistan has been held by Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir since November 2022.

The allegations of corruption and political meddling lodged against General Hameed sound familiar in Pakistan, where powerful military leaders influence foreign policy and domestic politics, prop up their favorite politicians and crush any opposition in their way.

But typically, the generals themselves have escaped accountability for their transgressions or received only a mild reprimand. General Hameed’s arrest stands apart — and has potentially far-reaching consequences, domestically and internationally, analysts say.
“The arrest and possible trial of a former spy chief is unusual for Pakistan,” said Husain Haqqani, a former ambassador of Pakistan to the U.S. and now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington.

“Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed celebrated the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan and was identified with jihadi militant operations. This could be the beginning of the Pakistani military’s break from policies associated with him,” Mr. Haqqani said.

In the initial years after the 9/11 attacks, there was cooperation between Pakistan’s spy agency and Washington, but by 2007, American officials were accusing the spy agency of supporting the Taliban insurgency inside Afghanistan.

The arrest also highlights the political turmoil that has gripped Pakistan for the past two years since Mr. Khan was removed from office by Parliament in a vote of no confidence.

In the years since, the military establishment has waged a countrywide crackdown on Mr. Khan and his supporters, who took to the streets in droves to show their support for him. Mr. Khan was arrested late last year on what he calls political charges. He remains in prison.
General Hameed was widely understood to be Mr. Khan’s closest ally within the military, who continued after retirement to provide support and advice to Mr. Khan in the hopes of helping him make good with military leaders and return to office, analysts say.

Analysts and government officials say the arrest sends a two-pronged message: It is a cautionary signal to senior military officers and also as a warning to Mr. Khan.

“It is, of course, aimed at Imran Khan and his political party, who have greatly benefited from General Hameed before and after his retirement,” said Murtaza Solangi, a former information minister and political analyst.

“But more than that, it is a clear and powerful message from the emboldened and strengthened Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir to both serving and retired personnel that any attempt to weaken and divide the military will not be tolerated,” Mr. Solangi added.
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During General Hameed’s tenure as spy chief, many politicians accused him of employing brute force and heavy-handed tactics to please his political and military bosses and to further his own personal ambitions. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif publicly claimed that General Hameed, along with a group of Supreme Court judges and another military general, were behind his removal from power in 2017.
In 2017, Hameed led the wing of the spy agency concerned with domestic issues, a division often criticized for alleged interference in politics. He was perceived as an enforcer for then-Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, with accusations that the military played a role in skewing the 2018 elections in favor of Mr. Khan.

In 2019, General Hameed was appointed chief of the spy agency, succeeding General Munir, who was abruptly removed from the post by Mr. Khan. In many ways, the current political turmoil in the country is also a result of the feud among these three figures.

As the spy agency’s chief, General Hameed soon became a close ally of Mr. Khan and used his position to intimidate and arrest the prime minister’s political opponents on what they said were trumped-up charges. Opposition politicians viewed him as running government affairs from behind the scenes while serving as spy chief. (Mr. Khan now makes similar accusations against the current military leadership.)

General Hameed was also seen as a supporter of the Afghan Taliban, having backed their takeover of Kabul after the American withdrawal in August 2021, and he and Mr. Khan approved the policy of repatriating Pakistani Taliban militants from Afghanistan back to Pakistan, which critics say has resulted in the return of militancy in the country.
In October 2021, General Bajwa removed General Hameed as spy chief, as differences between them grew and posted him as a corps commander in Peshawar.

Mr. Khan opposed the move before eventually agreeing to it. Mr. Khan has publicly acknowledged that he wanted to retain General Hameed as the spy agency’s chief because of the situation in Afghanistan

 

[PakFactor]

if they don’t catch him, people complain that they never catch generals. If they do catch him people complain that it will be against Imran Khan.

I think IK and Asim Munir will soon make a deal

I don't think Prophet Asim Munir is going to make peace with Imran Khan; he's going to bury him alive. This general is on a war path, and oddly enough, he's been knocking down the pieces in front of everyone's naked eyes.

 

[PakFactor]

Lot of evidence on Top City scheme. It will be used by the army to get him to become a witness against IK on a number of issues.

Yeah. Oddly enough, the owner of Top City, his cousin, is a Brigadier and couldn't get this general off even though the military knew about this all those years, and suddenly this. But this also shows the unchecked power of some, even in retirement.

 

[SaadH]

if they don’t catch him, people complain that they never catch generals. If they do catch him people complain that it will be against Imran Khan.

I think IK and Asim Munir will soon make a deal

The skepticism comes from the fact that there are far bigger corrupt criminals running around with impunity both as active members as well as retired members of the military...

 

[Protagoras]

Fauji touts are giddy from yesterday that IK will have that noose around his neck.

As long as IK doesn't make a deal with the military, his legacy and life is secured.

As soon as he makes that deal, he will be dead politically and that is when they will kill him too.

 

[Olympus81]

Hamid Mir’s interview on VoA Urdu was interesting.

If anyone can post the video, would be appreciated.

Gives some good insights on how the good old generals lobby, deceive, pit one against the other, do everything else but their job to further their agenda. The way the institution has been tarnished by their very own. Everything is unraveling right in front of our eyes.

 

[Oscar]

Hamid Mir’s interview on VoA Urdu was interesting.

If anyone can post the video, would be appreciated.

Gives some good insights on how the good old generals lobby, deceive, pit one against the other, do everything else but their job to further their agenda. The way the institution has been tarnished by their very own. Everything is unraveling right in front of our eyes.

Keep this in mind that this is something that does happen in the Pentagon on and off but because there is deep civilian oversight this is tempered by ensuring no General acts like a warlord.

 

[Oscar]

Khawaja Asif of all people, made a statement about Faiz and next think we know, Faiz is nabbed. This all topi drama about "financial irregularities" is just smoke screen, reasons are political. And the fact that head of snake, Bajwa is scot free , thats all you need to know.

I’ll say something a former chief said when suggested he write a book since he was during a crucial time.

“They will kill me” was his answer

By the time you make chief - you’re less about your knowledge on the “how” and more about the “who” and your “moats” is what you can expose on everyone.

Gen Faiz’s mistake was overextending the value of his moats. Gen B has a lot more and he has secured his family a lot more as well. I’m sure he doesn’t want humiliation but he also has a lot more “moats” built around him to stay alive.

 

[SteppeWolff]

Military is a malignant tumor for Pakistan since last many decades, I hope the people grow a pair and throw this scum out, but oh well..

 

[Olympus81]

Military is a malignant tumor for Pakistan since last many decades, I hope the people grow a pair and throw this scum out, but oh well..

Bro, thora haath halka.

Pakistan needs an army. We live in a tough neighborhood.

What we need is the army firmly under civilian control and the Generals not playing musical chairs with the politicians.