Islamabad, August 13, 2024 — In a significant and unprecedented development, the Pakistan Army announced on Monday that it has arrested former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, Lt Gen (Retd.) Faiz Hameed, and has initiated court martial proceedings against him in connection with the Top City housing scheme scandal.
According to a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, the arrest follows a detailed court of inquiry ordered by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The inquiry was conducted to investigate complaints lodged against Lt Gen Hameed (Retd.) concerning the controversial Top City case.
“Complying with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed court of inquiry was undertaken by the Pakistan Army to ascertain the correctness of complaints in the Top City Case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd.),” the ISPR stated.
As a result of the inquiry, the Pakistan Army has initiated “appropriate disciplinary action” under the provisions of the Pakistan Army Act. The ISPR also confirmed that multiple violations of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement have been established against Lt Gen Hameed, leading to the initiation of Field General Court Martial proceedings. The former ISI chief has been taken into military custody.
Lt Gen (Retd.) Faiz Hameed was a highly influential figure during his tenure as the head of the ISI from 2019 to 2021. He was appointed to the position after the premature removal of then ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Munir, the current Army chief. Reports at the time suggested that then-Prime Minister Imran Khan was dissatisfied with Munir’s performance, leading to Hameed’s appointment. However, Hameed’s later replacement reportedly marked the beginning of the strained relationship between Imran Khan and the military leadership.
The Top City case gained widespread attention in November 2023 when Moeez Ahmed Khan, the owner of Top City, filed a petition in the Supreme Court accusing Lt Gen Hameed of abusing his authority. According to the petition, ISI officials, acting on Hameed’s orders, raided Moeez Ahmed Khan’s office and home on May 12, 2017, seizing valuables including gold, diamonds, and cash. The petition further alleged that Lt Gen Hameed’s brother, Sardar Najaf, later contacted Khan to resolve the matter, and that Hameed himself met with Khan in an attempt to settle the issue. Khan also claimed that ISI officials extorted ₹4 crore in cash from him.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa, Justice Attar Minullah, and Justice Aminuddin, referred the case to the Ministry of Defence for further investigation. In April this year, the Pakistan Army announced the formation of a high-level inquiry committee, headed by a major general, to probe the allegations.
Lt Gen Hameed took premature retirement in November 2022, four months before his scheduled retirement, following the appointment of the current Army chief. He was known to be close to the former Army chief, Gen Qamar Bajwa.
The post of ISI chief is one of the most powerful and significant in the Pakistan Army, an institution that has wielded substantial influence in the country’s security and foreign policy matters, having ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 76-plus years of existence.
