Rise and fall of former ISI chief encapsulate structural tensions at heart of Pakistan’s civil–military order: Report
Islamabad, Dec 28 (IANS) – The meteoric rise and abrupt fall of former Inter‑Services Intelligence chief Lt General Faiz Hameed (retired) offer a window into the deeper friction that continually shapes Pakistan’s civil‑military nexus. His 14‑year prison sentence signals a fresh recalibration in the power play that followed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s removal.
“Faiz Hameed’s conviction cannot be reduced to simple legal accountability,” notes Syed Eesar Mehdi, a Research Fellow at the International Centre for Peace Studies. “Pakistan’s political story is written on a canvas where civilian authority and military power have long been unevenly balanced.” In his assessment, the stable dominance of the armed forces—through both visible actions and behind‑the‑scenes influence—has consistently tipped the scales in favour of the military, even as elected governments rise and fall.
The Centre’s analysis points out, “In this context, the sentencing of Lieutenant General (ret.) Faiz Hameed represents a notable departure from established patterns. Historically, generals who fall out of favour tend to retreat into quiet retirement, protected by institutional norms of discretion and mutual silence.”
“Public prosecution and imprisonment, especially on such a scale, are rare. Faiz Hameed’s case, therefore, invites broader questions about the changing dynamics of civil‑military relations, the limits of political engagement for military officers, and the mechanisms through which the establishment enforces conformity after periods of internal strain,” the report continues.
During the late 2010s, Hameed became one of the most powerful figures inside Pakistan’s security establishment, a rise that paralleled the ascent of Imran Khan. Supporters hailed the partnership as a shared reformist vision between a soldier and a civilian leader, while detractors accused the move of being political engineering and evidence of undue military meddling in democratic affairs.
Following Khan’s ouster, the country entered a turbulent phase. The May 9, 2023 protests, sparked by Khan’s arrest, saw attacks on military institutions. Allegations that Hameed was sympathetic to Khan’s movement framed him as a traitor in the post‑protest narrative. The sentence now handed to him underlines the message that allegiance to a person cannot outweigh allegiance to the institution and that the military is determined to rewrite its own story.
Mehdi reflects, “The rise and fall of Faiz Hameed encapsulate the structural tensions at the heart of Pakistan’s civil‑military order. His ascent was facilitated by personal trust, political alignment, and the informal power that flows from proximity to civilian leadership. His downfall was precipitated by the same factors once political alignments shifted and institutional anxieties intensified. This case underscores a persistent dilemma within Pakistan’s political system.”
He adds, “Civilian leaders often seek military allies to govern effectively, while the military seeks influence without accountability for political outcomes. When these objectives diverge, individuals positioned at the intersection become expendable. Ultimately, Faiz Hamed’s story is less an anomaly than a reflection of systemic patterns. It illustrates how loyalty can be reinterpreted as transgression, how accountability can serve political ends, and how institutional survival consistently outweighs individual careers.”
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