As court-martial of former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen (r) Faiz Hameed continues, a media report has claimed that former chief of army staff (COAS) Gen (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa would appear before the court if summoned.

 

According to a report by The News, a number of hearings of the case against the former ISI director general (DG) have so far taken place as part of his field general court martial (FGCM). Hameed, the report quoted sources as saying, had attended every hearing and appeared to be physically fit and healthy.

 

After the prosecution concludes presenting witnesses, the defence team will call its witnesses, it said and quoted sources as saying that Gen (r) Bajwa would also appear before the court if he was summoned.

 

The report also quoted Hameed’s lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq as responding to if ex-spymaster or his legal team would invite Gen (r) Bajwa as a defence witness. “I am not deciding anything in haste. It’s all about the developments in the case and the relevance of such witnesses based on those developments,” he said.

 

“We also need to consider whether it will support our case or not… as it could be counterproductive. A lot of deliberations and calculations will be made before finalising the decision,” Ashfaq said, rubbishing widespread claims being made by journalists and media outlets.

 

“It all depends on the proceedings and prosecution witnesses. Whether a retired or incumbent witness will be called for the defence will be decided later,” he added.

 

To a question about the expected date of verdict against Hameed, his lawyer said that some time was required for cross-examination of prosecution and defence witnesses and it was likely to be concluded in a month. “Cross-examination is a routine procedure, and it naturally takes time.”

 

On August 12, 2024, the military apprehended the ex-spymaster on a petition filed by Top City Housing Society’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kanwar Moeez Khan in the Supreme Court (SC). In the complaint, Hameed was accused of being involved in land grabbing besides stealing diamonds and gold jewelry during a raid.

 

On December 10, 2024, Hameed was indicted on multiple allegations, including engaging in political activities, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

 

Hameed was charged with engaging in political activities, violations of the Official Secret Act detrimental to the safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources and causing wrongful losses to individual(s), the military’s media wing added.