Faiz Hamid’s trial on hold for three weeks: counsel

ISLAMABAD: The ongoing military trial of former ISI chief Lt Gen (R) Faiz Hamid has been on hold for the past three weeks, his lawyer revealed on Wednesday, expressing the hope that the proceedings may resume any day now.

In his interaction with The News, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq said that the proceedings have remained paused for the last three weeks. “We expect them to resume soon, possibly any day,” he said.

Ashfaq, who is leading Gen (R) Faiz’s legal team alongside two associates, added that they had formally requested early completion of the process in light of his planned travel abroad next month. “Given my family vacation abroad after about a month, we have requested early conclusion of proceedings,” he said.

While careful not to speculate on a specific timeline, Ashfaq noted that approximately 65 to 70 percent of the trial process had already been completed.

The military proceedings, conducted under the Official Secrets Act, remain confidential, and no further details have been made public. However, Ashfaq’s comments offer rare insight into the current status of the case that has attracted significant public interest.

Last year military’s public relations arm, ISPR, announced that Gen (R) Faiz had been formally charged with multiple offences, including engaging in political activities and violating the Official Secrets Act. The ISPR stated these violations have compromised state security and interests.

Gen (R) Faiz has been formally arraigned on charges of engaging in political activities, violations of Official Secrets Act which, according to the ISPR, were detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources and causing wrongful loss to a person(s).

The former spymaster’s role with regard to May 9 “in collusion with vested political interests” was also being investigated. His involvement in events related to creating agitation and unrest, leading up to multiple incidents including but not limited to 9th May 2023 incident for fomenting instability at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests, is also being separately investigated, the ISPR statement had added.

The former spy chief has reportedly denied wrongdoing, and maintains, through his counsel, that any political contacts made post-retirement were part of routine social interactions. While it remains unclear when the paused proceedings will resume, Ashfaq’s latest remarks suggest that the trial could move forward soon — depending on internal scheduling by the military court.