Faiz Hameed's trial will not end at court martial: Faisal Vawda

December 14 civil disobedience movement by PTI is directly linked to the trial of the retired general, senator claims

Senator Faisal Vawda has claimed that the case of General Faiz Hameed, the former head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), will not be limited to a court martial but will result in punishment. In an exclusive interview with Express News, he confirmed that the trial is set to take a significant turn.

"I have previously stated that the civil disobedience movement scheduled for December 14 is directly linked to the trial of Faiz Hameed. It is unacceptable that the trial of one individual takes place while his supporters go untried," Vawda said while suggesting that this movement is a response to perceived injustice and seeks accountability for all involved parties.

The former federal minister also claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has lost its momentum, asserting that the country now has a merit-based system in place where no powerful individual can escape justice.

"The wind has gone out of PTI's sails, and now a system of merit has emerged in Pakistan, where even the powerful cannot avoid the law," he remarked.

Discussing the ongoing developments, Vawda revealed that after five months of gathering evidence, formal charges have been brought against one of his associates. So, now if the founder of PTI is taken into military custody, it will not be surprising," he said.

Vawda further alleged that Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, is "determined to eliminate" the PTI founder. His remarks come as Hameed has been formally indicted on multiple charges, including engaging in political activities.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the military's media wing confirmed that the process of a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) was initiated against retired Hameed under the provisions of the Pakistan Army Act on August 12, 2024.

"[...] and in the first place has been formally arraigned on charges of engaging in political activities, violations of Official Secret Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority & government resources and causing wrongful loss to a person(s)," the ISPR said.

In addition to the charges, a separate investigation is also underway to examine Hameed's alleged involvement in incidents that contributed to political unrest in the country, particularly events surrounding the disturbances of May 9, 2023, the ISPR statement read.

“During the process, involvement of Lt Gen Faiz Hamid (Retd), in events related to creating agitation and unrest, leading upto 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.”