ISLAMABAD: Pakistani defense and political analysts on Tuesday termed the arrest of former spymaster Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed a “very significant development,” saying it was likely to further strain former prime minister Imran Khan’s ties with the country’s powerful military.
The Pakistani military said on Monday it had held a detailed inquiry against Hameed, a former chief of Pakistan’s premier Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the management of the Top City housing society accusing him of extortion, land grabbing and snatching valuables, among other charges.
Multiple instances of violation of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement had also been established against Hameed other than the Top City case, the military said, adding that it had started court martial proceedings against the former general.
Hameed, who served as the ISI chief from June 2019 till October 2021, is widely seen to have been close to ex-PM Khan, who has been in jail since August on a slew of charges. Many of Khan’s close associates are also in jail while others claim of harassment and intimidation by state agencies, which deny the charge. Many independent analysts as well as Khan supporters believe actions against Hameed may be part of the crackdown against close Khan associates.
Khan, who is widely believed to have been propelled to power with the backing of the military in 2018, was ousted in a parliamentary no-trust vote he blames was orchestrated by the military in cahoots with his political rivals. Both deny the charge. Since his ouster, his party has faced a state-backed crackdown that has only seemed to bolster support for Khan and which has been publicized widely on social media, along with unprecedented criticism of the army’s heavy hand in politics. The current military leadership says it no longer interferes in politics.
“This [arrest] will not only further strain Khan’s relationship with the military, but it will also demoralize Khan and his party most likely,” Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT) think tank, said, referring to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The development has set a precedent for future proceedings against former ISI chiefs or high-ranking military officials, Mehboob said.
“It was very significant that a person of as senior a stature as a Corps Commander, a former ISI chief like Hameed, could be arrested and could be court-martialed and most likely sentenced,” he said.
“It is a very strong message to everyone that people who may be conspiring, who may be working against the current military leadership, will not be spared.”
Hameed’s arrest would also serve as a warning for other institutions and political groups who might be looking at the possibility of opposing the military or PM Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government, which is widely believed to be close to the current army leadership under Army Chief General Asim Munir.
“CLEAR DIVISION”
Ayesha Siddiqa, an author and political commentator, agreed with Mehboob.
“The impact is that it will allow them [the military leadership] to actually tighten control of the army and the ISI,” she told Arab News. “So, I think the [Top City] corruption case is just for public consumption, and [the real issue] is they are worried about the indiscipline that he was causing.”
Referring to allegations that Hameed was involved in “political activities” post-retirement, Siddiqa said it showed a “clear division” within the army and more arrests from within could be likely in the future.
Brig. (retired) Masud Ahmed Khan, a defense analyst, said the army had sent a clear message with this move: anyone involved in violations of good order and military discipline would be brought to justice, regardless of their rank or status.
“Whether you are serving or retired, if you are involved in activities which are detrimental to national security and also a violation of good order and military discipline, violation of Pakistan Army Act, then you will be tried by court martial,” he told Arab News.
Masud said the army was trying to demonstrate to other institutions across the country, be it the judiciary, the bureaucracy, or any other organization, that they could act against those “undermining national interests.”
Analysts say arrest of former Pakistani spymaster could further strain ex-PM Khan’s ties with military
https://arab.news/rhgcs
Analysts say arrest of former Pakistani spymaster could further strain ex-PM Khan’s ties with military
- Ex-spymaster Faiz Hameed, widely seen as close to Khan, faces inquiry over allegations of extortion and land grabbing
- Development has set precedent for future proceedings against ex-ISI chiefs or high-ranking military officials, analysts say
Pakistan graft survey echoes IMF warning on weak governance, public dissatisfaction
- Most Pakistanis say they were not compelled to pay bribes, but distrust remains high in anti-corruption efforts
- PM Shahbaz Sharif calls report a recognition of his government’s efforts to fight corruption, promote transparency
ISLAMABAD: Governance weaknesses flagged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) appeared to align with findings from Pakistan’s latest corruption perception survey, analysts said on Tuesday, as Transparency International Pakistan (TI-Pakistan) reported widespread public dissatisfaction with the state’s accountability mechanisms.
TI-Pakistan’s National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025 found that 58 percent of respondents fully or partly agreed that the IMF program and Pakistan’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list had helped stabilize the economy.
“Encouragingly, a majority of Pakistanis (66 percent) nationwide reported that they did not experience a situation where they felt compelled to offer a bribe to access any public service,” said the survey. “Sindh recorded the highest proportion of respondents paying a bribe to access public service (46 percent), followed by Punjab (39 percent), Balochistan (31 percent) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (20 percent).”
In this context, 77 percent said they were unhappy with the government’s anti-corruption performance.
However, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over the report in a statement, saying “a large majority of citizens said they did not face corruption during our government’s tenure” which is “recognition of our efforts to fight corruption and promote transparency.”
“It is highly encouraging that most citizens considered the government’s measures for economic recovery to be successful,” he said.
“We worked on a priority basis to establish a system grounded in merit and transparency across all sectors of government, and we are continuing to build on these efforts,” he added.
Economist and former finance ministry adviser Dr. Khaqan Najeeb said the survey highlighted the same structural weaknesses identified by the IMF’s Governance and Corruption Diagnostic, published on Nov. 20 at the international lender’s request, which said Pakistan suffers from “persistent and widespread corruption vulnerabilities” rooted in a state-dominated economy, weak regulatory capacity, and inconsistent enforcement.
“Transparency International Pakistan’s National Corruption Perception Survey does suggest progress in reducing low-level, day-to-day bribery, but it does not contradict the IMF’s governance findings,” he told Arab News. “Instead, it highlights that Pakistan’s real challenge lies in deeper, systemic weaknesses in transparency, oversight and institutional accountability.”
“While public perception has improved, it does not mean the underlying governance issues identified by the IMF have been resolved,” he argued, adding that addressing those will require sustained reforms, stronger institutions and consistent enforcement.
Political analyst Mazhar Abbas said the report was going to be used by the government to bolster its economic narrative.
“Survey reports have usually been tilted in favor of the government, and this report is no different,” he told Arab News. “The government will certainly use it to support its narrative of an improved economy, as the report states that a majority of respondents partially or fully agree that the government has successfully stabilized the economy through the IMF agreement and by exiting the FATF grey list.”
Abbas added it was difficult to either challenge or endorse the findings of the report without knowing who was interviewed and who the respondents were.
“The police have consistently been at the top of Transparency International’s corruption perception reports, whereas there may be other organizations where the frequency and volume of corruption are even higher,” he continued, adding that since the police are a public-dealing organization and consistently top the corruption perception index, it suggested that most respondents are from the general public, who may either lack access to or knowledge of corrupt practices in other organizations.
Islamabad-based social-sector development consultant Muhammad Qasim Jan said the survey should be seen as a barometer of public sentiment rather than an empirical measure of corruption.
“The National Corruption Perception Survey 2025 offers a sobering snapshot of how Pakistanis view corruption and accountability,” he told Arab News. “At the same time, the absence of basic methodological detail means the results should be interpreted with caution, especially when citing national percentages or making population-wide claims.”
