ISLAMABAD:
Leaders of the ruling alliance on Thursday termed the conviction of former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed as a watershed moment, seeing the 14-year rigorous imprisonment sentence handed down by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) as both a countdown to the past and the emergence of an order of accountability within state institutions.
The ruling camp reacted quickly to the former spymaster’s fall, with senior leaders saying the consequences of decisions made during the era of a general long seen as the architect of their political woes were finally surfacing.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, in an article on
“The country will continue to reap the seeds sown by Faiz Hameed and General [retd] Bajwa for years,” he wrote.
“May God forgive us. May those in power recognize that authority is a divine trust and use it for the welfare of His creation. May the fear of God guide those in power. Ameen.”
Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar also weighed in, calling the verdict a “landmark” and “landmark” decision that he said would strengthen the rule of law.
He told a private TV channel that red lines had long been crossed and political interference had taken place, saying the former ISI chief had acted as a “political advisor to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)” and provided the party with “full political support”.
Tarar stressed that the trial was fair, saying Hameed was given every opportunity to defend himself, including presenting evidence and witnesses in his favor. He added that investigations into Hameed’s alleged political role were still ongoing and would continue.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the former intelligence chief was also sanctioned in the Top City case, in which Hameed was accused of abusing his position to extort money from a private housing company.
In a statement, Tarar said the former ISI chief’s conviction was based on “evidence.”
“Today, whoever crossed the red line was punished,” he added. The minister said Hameed had been given “full opportunity” to defend himself during the trial and produce witnesses.
“After the statements of all witnesses were recorded and the evidence was presented, a fair verdict was rendered.”
Tarar further asserted that no one was above the law and legal action would be taken against anyone who “crossed the red line”.
He said Hameed had “abused his authority and further investigations would be carried out on political matters”.
The minister also claimed that Hameed had been the PTI’s “political advisor”.
Tarar added: “The process of self-responsibility within the army is very strong, and everyone now has a clear example of it. [ ] Today’s decision is a victory for truth and justice.”
