In an unprecedented move, the Pakistan Army on Monday announced that it has arrested former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed and initiated court martial proceedings against him in connection with a housing scheme scandal.

“Complying with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed court of inquiry was undertaken by Pakistan Army, to ascertain correctness of complaints in Top City Case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd),” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the army- said in a statement.

“Consequently, appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd.), under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act,” it said.

“In addition, multiple instances of violation of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement have also been established. The process of Field General Court Martial has been initiated and Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) has been taken into military custody,” it added.

Lt Gen (retd.) Hameed was considered extremely powerful when he headed the spy agency from 2019 to 2021.

He was appointed to the coveted post when then ISI chief and current Army chief Lt Gen Asim Munir was prematurely removed from the post. It was reported then that then prime minister Imran Khan was not happy with Munir.

Later, the army decided to replace Hameed, a move vehemently opposed by Imran Khan and it is believed that it was the beginning of souring of his ties with the powerful military.

The Top City case made headlines when on November 8, 2023, Moeez Ahmed Khan, the owner of Top City, filed a petition in the Supreme Court in which he accused Hameed of misusing his authority.

He stated in the petition that on May 12, 2017, at the behest of Gen Hameed, ISI officials raided the top city office and his house and seized valuables, including gold, diamonds and money. He also stated that Sardar Najaf, the brother of Hameed, also contacted him to resolve the issue later. The petition also claimed that Gen Hameed later personally met him to resolve the issue. He alleged that the ISI officials extorted Rs 4 crore cash from him. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which included Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faiz Isa, Justice Attar Minullah and Justice Aminuddin, heard the case and decided to send it to the Ministry of Defence for probing the allegation.

The army announced in April this year that it constituted a high-level inquiry committee headed by a major general to look into the allegations.

Hameed took premature retirement in November 2022, four months before his retirement date after the current army chief took over. He was considered close to then Army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa.

The post of ISI chief is considered one of the most important in the Pakistan Army, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 76-plus years of existence and has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.