Ex-spy chief’s arraignment ignites debate in Pakistan on possible military trial of Imran Khan

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan (left) and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hamid (second left) are pictured after attending a special meeting of “National Intelligence Coordination Committee” in Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 23, 2021. (@PakPMO/File)
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Updated 12 December 2024
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Ex-spy chief’s arraignment ignites debate in Pakistan on possible military trial of Imran Khan

  • Hamid, who was DG ISI from June 2019 until October 2021, was widely seen to have been close to Khan when he was PM 
  • PM Sharif government says Hamid may have been a “strategic adviser” to Khan in planning anti-military riots in May last year

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Legal and political analysts said this week the arraignment of former spymaster Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hamid on a number of charges, including engaging in political activities, could be a “message” for ex-premier Imran Khan and a precursor to prosecuting the jailed leader before a military court.

Hamid, who served as the director-general of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from June 2019 until October 2021, was widely seen to have been close to Khan while he was prime minister from 2018-2022. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at the time of Hamid’s arrest in August he was part of a “political nexus” led by Khan that had planned protests by pro-Khan supporters in May 9, 2023, in which government and military buildings were attacked by rioters. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has since said Hamid may have played the role of a “strategic adviser” to Khan in planning the violence and the ex-premier’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party provided the manpower while Hamid “masterminded the conspiracy.” 

Thousands of leaders and supporters of the PTI were arrested after the protests and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence and there have been widespread reports that the military also plans to prosecute Khan under the Pakistan Army Act on charges of treason and attempting to incite a mutiny in the military. The PTI denies their leader planned the riots and says he was in prison when they took place. Khan is already on trial in a civilian court for allegedly abetting the violence, a charge he has rejected. 

The Pakistan Army Act of 1952 set up military courts to try members of the military or enemies of the state. Civilians can only be tried in such tribunals under a federal government order for offenses such as waging war against the armed forces or law enforcement agencies, or for attacking military installations or inciting mutiny.

Hamid’s lawyer declined comment. The military did not respond to an Arab News request for comment but current army chief General Asim Munir said in May, without naming anyone, there could be “no compromise or deal with the planners and architects of this dark chapter in our history.”

“The court martial of Faiz Hamid is also a message for Imran Khan,” political analyst Mazhar Abbas told Arab News. “The case with regards to May 9 is still not final and under investigation but if the nexus between Gen. Faiz and Imran is established, the case would go down in history as a landmark case.”

Imaan Mazari-Haider, a prominent human rights lawyer, questioned the intent behind Hamid’s trial.

“If there was any genuine intent to hold him [Hamid] accountable for violations of his oath, the violations of the constitution, violations of Pakistanis’ fundamental rights under his tenure as DG ISI, we would be seeing a very different kind of trial and a very different mode of accountability,” she said, referring to the secretive nature of military trials. 

“So, yes, I do think on some level, this is also being done to bring Imran Khan within the ambit of the Army Act … it’s to bring a very popular, civilian leader within the ambit of the Army Act, perhaps at a later stage.”

Khan has himself said Hamid’s arrest was meant to ultimately target him as other cases against him were falling apart and he had won a string of legal victories in civilian courts.

“It is a drama to try my case in a military court,” he was quoted as saying by his lawyer Naeem Panjutha during a hearing in jail earlier this year.

In a media briefing in September, military spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry hinted at a military trial for Khan in response to a question by a journalist. While he said the matter was under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion, he simultaneously outlined the conditions under which a civilian could be tried under military law:

“Anyone who uses any person or persons who are bound by the Army Act for his personal or political interests, and there is evidence available about that, the law will take its own course.”

“FIX THEIR OWN HOUSE”

Pakistan’s military courts operate under a separate system from the civilian legal system and are run by military officials. Judges at such tribunals are also military officers and cases are tried at military buildings. Trials are closed to outsiders and the media.

The courts have faced widespread criticism inside Pakistan and from rights organizations globally because of their secretive nature and their parallel existence alongside a functioning civilian legal system.

Anyone tried under the Army Act has the right to defend themselves and engage a counsel of their choice. Individuals can challenge convictions in high courts and the Supreme Court.

Hamid is being tried by court-martial on charges of corruption, misuse of power in service and violation of the Army Act after his 2022 retirement, the military says. The charges are punishable by a jail sentence of up to 14 years.

“The retired officer is also accused of transgressing legal and constitutional boundaries for his personal interest at the behest of some particular political elements,” the military spokesman said at the September briefing.

Khan has waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s all-powerful military after a falling out with then-army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2022, following which he was ousted from office in a parliamentary no-trust vote that he said was backed by the generals. The army denies it interferes in political affairs but has a long history of carrying out military coups in Pakistan and being the invisible guiding hand of politics even in times of civilian rule. 

Khan appointed Hamid in 2019 as the head of the ISI, one of the most powerful posts in Pakistan and one that functions at the intersection of national politics and military and foreign affairs. Two years later, when the military transferred Hamid from the ISI to a corps command, Khan initially opposed the move in what was the first public sign of divisions between him and the army top leadership.

Khan has acknowledged in interviews to Pakistani media that he wanted Hamid to remain DG ISI in 2021, when he said the opposition had started planning his ouster. 

Lawyer and columnist, Sameer Khosa, told Arab News while it was too early to speculate on whether Hamid’s trial would pave the way for Khan’s before a military court, civilians “deserve a hearing in a fair and open court where they are confronted with the evidence against them and have the ability to lead a fair and independent defense.”

“Military trials are meant for the internal disciplinary proceedings of military officers by military officers because they are bound by military discipline,” Khosa said. 

“Civilians have the right to a trial before an independent and impartial forum that is open to the public and the media. That’s a constitutional guarantee. It’s an international human rights principle.”

Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a senior PTI leader and close adviser to Khan, said the court martial and arraignment of the former ISI chief was an “army matter” that had no connection to Khan.

“It’s funny that the army is taking action [against Hamid] now but not in the last five years while he was in office,” the PTI spokesman told Arab News, raising questions about the timing of the case against the ex-spymaster.

“They [army] should, they need to fix their own house first before trying to link it to anybody else,” he added. “So whatever issues they have, it is their own internal housekeeping.”


Pakistan PM uses World Governments Summit to call for independent state of Palestine

Updated 7 sec ago
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Pakistan PM uses World Governments Summit to call for independent state of Palestine

  • Gaza war has been paused since January 19 under ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas
  • Palestinian territory, encompassing Gaza Strip and West Bank, has been occupied by Israel since 1967

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday used the pulpit at the World Governments Summit in Dubai to call for the creation of an independent state of Palestine, saying it was the only path toward a “durable and just peace.”
The latest Gaza war, which began after an Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, has been paused since Jan. 19 under the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that was brokered by Qatar and Egypt with support from the United States.
More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the Gaza health ministry says, and nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been internally displaced by the conflict, which has caused a hunger crisis.
Some 1,200 people were killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities and about 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages, Israeli tallies show.
“This gathering could not have come at a more opportune time as the region begins to recover from the tumultuous aftershocks of the tragic conflict in Gaza, which has claimed [lives of] over 50,000 innocent Palestinians,” Sharif said as he addressed the WSG.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the audience at the plenary hall during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 11, 2025. (AFP)

“It is now our hope that the genocidal operation will be followed by a lasting peace. However, Pakistan believes that durable and just peace is only possible through a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, that is the creation of an independent state of Palestine, with pre-1967 boundaries and Al-Quds as its capital.”
Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”


In unprecedented development, Pakistan chief justice meets visiting IMF team

Updated 28 min 29 sec ago
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In unprecedented development, Pakistan chief justice meets visiting IMF team

  • Discusses judicial reforms, accountability, recent restructuring of commission that recommends judges to superior courts
  • Finance ministry said on Sunday IMF mission would visit Pakistan to conduct Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment

KARACHI: In a rare development on Tuesday, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation visiting Pakistan met the country’s chief justice for discussions on judicial reforms, accountability and the recent controversial restructuring of a commission that recommends judges for Pakistan’s superior courts.
The finance ministry said on Sunday a three-member IMF mission would visit Pakistan in the coming week to conduct a Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment under the country’s 2024 Extended Fund Facility program for a $7 billion loan. The ministry said the mission’s report would recommend actions for addressing corruption vulnerabilities and strengthening integrity and governance, with the findings helping to shape structural reforms.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said in a press release the IMF team led by Joel Turkewitz had met with Chief Justice Yahya Afridi.
The statement quoted the CJ as saying he would be “quite guarded” in his comments to the IMF team and the judiciary was “not used to direct interaction with such missions,” but it was taking place on the request of the finance division.
“He then highlighted key Constitutional developments with respect to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan and reforms, including senior-level judicial appointments, judicial accountability, and the restructuring of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP). He elaborated on the merits of integrating the judiciary and the parliamentary committee to ensure a more transparent and efficient judicial selection process,” the SC statement said.
Discussions during the meeting also centered on judicial accountability and mechanisms for addressing complaints against judges.
“The Chief Justice emphasized the importance of a robust and fair accountability process to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary,” the statement said.
The finance ministry statement on Sunday had said the focus of the visiting mission would be to “examine the severity of corruption vulnerabilities across six core state functions.”
“These include fiscal governance, central bank governance and operations, financial sector oversight, market regulation, rule of law, and Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism,” it read.
The finance ministry said the IMF had long provided advice and technical assistance to foster good governance such as promoting public sector transparency and accountability.
“Traditionally the IMF’s main focus has been on encouraging countries to correct macroeconomic imbalances, reduce inflation, and undertake key trade, exchange, and other market reforms needed to improve efficiency and support sustained economic growth,” the finance ministry said on Feb. 9.
“While these remain its main focus in all its member countries, however the IMF has found that a much broader range of institutional reforms is needed if countries are to establish and maintain private sector confidence and thereby lay the basis for sustained growth.”
The IMF identified that promoting good governance in all its aspects, including ensuring the rule of law, improving the efficiency and accountability of the public sector, and tackling corruption, “are essential elements of a framework within which economies can prosper,” the ministry said, welcoming the IMF’s technical support and saying the assessment would aid efforts to promote transparency and institutional capacity.
The South Asian country, currently bolstered by a $7 billion IMF facility granted in September, is navigating an economic recovery.
The IMF is set to review Pakistan’s progress by March, with the government and central bank expressing confidence about meeting its targets.


Pakistan urges global support for its $100 billion energy transition at World Governments Summit in UAE

Updated 28 min 53 sec ago
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Pakistan urges global support for its $100 billion energy transition at World Governments Summit in UAE

  • The summit brought together a large number of heads of governments, global policymakers, and leading private sector figures
  • Pakistan was committed to achieving 60 percent clean energy mix and 30 percent electric vehicle transition by 2030, PM Shehbaz Sharif says

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for global support to meet Pakistan’s $100 billion energy transition needs as he addressed participants at the World Governments Summit (WGS) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The summit, being held in Dubai on Feb. 11-13 under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’, brings together a large number of heads of state/government, global policymakers, and leading private sector figures to discuss the future of governance, innovation and international cooperation.
Addressing the summit on Tuesday, the Pakistani prime minister urging stronger climate financing, technology sharing from governments, private investment, and multilateral cooperation for sustainable growth of developing nations.
“The global shift to a green economy requires a shared responsibility,” he said. “Pakistan’s energy transition alone demands $100 billion in investment and I call upon governments to strengthen climate financing and technology sharing, private investors to explore Pakistan’s green energy and infrastructure opportunities, multilateral institutions to support emerging economies like Pakistan in achieving sustainable growth.”
Sharif emphasized that while Pakistan was fully committed to mobilizing domestic resources and policy reforms, international partnerships and financial support remained critical to achieving this goal.
The South Asian country offers one of the most dynamic investment landscapes in Asia, with 70 percent of its dynamic, young and tech-savvy population under the age of 30, according to the prime minister. Pakistan is simplifying business regulations, enhancing legal protections and streamlining investment approvals to make it a leading destination for global capital.
“To drive investment in key sectors, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has been established focusing on renewable energy and resilient infrastructure, technology and digital economy, minerals and industrial development and agricultural and food security,” he said.
Pakistan established the SIFC, a civil-military body, in June 2023 to attract foreign investment by eliminating bureaucratic hurdles and provide a one-window operation to foreign businesses.
Sharif said his country stands at a “defining moment of economic transformation” as inflation dropped to 2.4 percent in January, the lowest in nine years, with the interest rate capped at 12 percent, a major stimulus for private sector credit.
He said the Udaan Pakistan national economic transformation plan, which focuses on exports, e-Pakistan, environment and climate change, energy and infrastructure, equity and empowerment, has energy security and sustainability at the core of its agenda, not just as an economic necessity but as a national priority.
“Pakistan is committed to achieving a 60 percent clean energy mix by 2030 and transitioning 30 percent of all vehicles to electric mobility and we are rapidly scaling up solar, wind, hydro power and nuclear energy,” he added.
PAKISTANI, UAE LEADERS SEEK TO DEEPEN ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
Sharif earlier met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the Pakistan PM’s office saying both leaders discussed ways to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and the UAE and explored opportunities to enhance mutual interests.
“The talks focused on economic, trade, and development fields, alongside other areas that align with both nations’ visions for sustainable economic growth and prosperity,” Sharif’s office said said in a statement.


The two figures also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest, with a focus on recent developments in the Middle East.
“They emphasized the need for intensified international efforts for a comprehensive and lasting peace in Palestine based on the two-state solution to maintain regional security, stability, and peace,” Sharif’s office said.
The Pakistani premier also met with UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who established the WGS in 2013.
“The Prime Minister lauded this transformative and timely initiative, providing a platform to world leaders, policy makers and experts, where they could gather under one roof to hold global discourse on the future of governance and better future,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
The prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s pro-investment policies aimed at facilitating Emirati investors in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, mining and IT.
“He invited Emirati businesses to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan,” the statement read.


Pakistan says IMF ‘on board’ over $7 billion bailout targets

Updated 11 February 2025
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Pakistan says IMF ‘on board’ over $7 billion bailout targets

  • The statement comes days before the arrival of an IMF team for the first review of the facility
  • IMF bailouts are critical for Pakistan which narrowly avoided a sovereign default in June 2023

KARACHI: Pakistan has taken the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on board over its targets under a $7 billion loan program it secured in September, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday, days before the arrival of an IMF mission in the South Asian nation for the program’s first review.
A successful review, expected later this month or in early March, would see the Washington-based lender release around $1 billion tranche to cash-strapped Pakistan, which seeks to boost its foreign exchange reserves to achieve the IMF’s threshold of three months import cover.
IMF bailouts are critical for Pakistan which narrowly avoided a sovereign default in June 2023 by clinching a last-gasp, $3 billion IMF loan and is currently navigating a tricky path to economic recovery.
“We are on track,” Khurram Schehzad, an adviser at the Pakistani finance ministry, told Arab News. “The IMF is on board on the targets and benchmarks that we have achieved as well as only a few we are chasing. We are fully prepared to go into the review process.”
The statement is expected to allay investor concerns about Pakistan meeting the IMF’s conditions to reform its economy by cutting on energy subsidies, broadening the tax net to agriculture, real estate and retail sectors, and privatizing loss-making, state-owned enterprises like the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
“We are working on the taxation side by bringing in the under-taxed and non-taxed sectors into the net by broadening, deepening and widening it,” Schehzad said.
Provincial governments in Pakistan’s Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have recently enacted laws to impose taxes on farm incomes, fulfilling one of the IMF’s requirements.
Since averting an imminent default on its external debt in 2023, Pakistan is now keeping its current account in check primarily through containing imports. The country’s exports rose 10% to $19.6 billion in the last seven months till January, while it is keeping tabs on imports that increased by 7% to $33 billion, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
“Our balance of payment position is going to be manageable this year,” said Schehzad, who believes population growth and climate change are the two biggest challenges facing Pakistan’s economy.
The country achieved a current account surplus of $1.2 billion from July 2024 till December 2024 and is expecting to receive a record $35 billion worker remittances by June 2025. It expects IT exports to increase to $4 billion this year.
As jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party carries out countrywide protests to demand the return of its “stolen” mandate in the last general election, PM Shehbaz Sharif’s government is trying to shore up the fragile economy, which Schehzad said is expected to expand in the range of 3% to 3.5% this financial year ending in June.
Pakistan’s central bank has slashed the interest rate by a cumulative 1,000 basis points to 12% since June to spur economic growth, thanks to the easing inflation that rose 2.41% last month, the lowest in more than nine years.
“We are keeping an eye on the prices of all essential items that should be reflective of the prevailing inflation numbers, so to close the gap between numbers and on-ground prices,” the finance adviser said.
The pace of price hike is expected to ease further in the months ahead, which will create more room for the central bank to decrease the rate of bank borrowing.
“We are giving priority to long-term sustainability of the economy over short term reliefs,” Schehzad said.
The Pakistani government is striving to turn the hard-earned economic stability with fiscal and external consolidation into a growth that is export-led and driven by productive and efficient investments primarily by the private sector, according to the finance adviser.
The government is working to break the so-called boom-and-bust cycle Pakistan’s economy has been “suffering from in the past many years now” and targets 6% growth and beyond by 2029, he added.


Australia look to fine tune for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka ODIs

Updated 11 February 2025
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Australia look to fine tune for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka ODIs

  • The Champions Trophy begins on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai
  • Australia are in a group with England, South Africa and Afghanistan

COLOMBO: Captain Steve Smith admitted Tuesday the Champions Trophy would be on Australia minds when they play Sri Lanka in two one-day internationals this week, the final warm-ups for the eight-team tournament
The Champions Trophy begins on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai, and 50-over world champions Australia are in a group with England, South Africa and Afghanistan.
Australia face Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday and Friday, fresh from a dominant 2-0 Test series sweep.
“I’d be lying if I said the Champions Trophy wasn’t at the forefront of our minds — it’s a massive ICC tournament for us,” Smith told reporters in Colombo.
“While our focus is firmly on finishing this series on a strong note, there is no denying that the Champions Trophy is looming large. We want to make sure we carry good form into that competition.”
Both ODIs will be played as day games, a rarity in modern cricket.
The floodlights in Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium are out of action as part of renovations ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted with India.
“Day games are quite different,” Smith said, adding he couldn’t remember his last ODI day match.
“But whatever the conditions, it’s going to be warm out there, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Before coming to Sri Lanka, Australia held a training camp in Dubai to prepare for “challenging wickets” in Sri Lanka, said Smith.
“The batters found methods to succeed in these conditions, the spinners worked on varying their pace, and the seamers fine-tuned their reverse swing,” he said.
“We hope to bring all that into this series and finish well.”
Sri Lanka did not qualify for the Champions Trophy after a dismal ninth-place finish at the World Cup in India in 2023.
“It’s disappointing, no doubt about it — but there’s nothing that we can do about it now,” Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain Charith Asalanka said.
“What’s important is that we make sure this never happens again.”
Asalanka said the team wanted to focus on their successes — including beating India in 2024 in the first ODI in 27 years.
“We need to build on that momentum,” Asalanka added.