Lawyer says appeal filed against ex-spymaster Faiz Hameed’s conviction

Islamabad – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – Faiz Hameed, former ISI chief, has filed an appeal against his military court sentence, his lawyer confirmed to Dawn on Monday.

Hameed was sentenced to 14 years in prison on December 11 after being convicted of violating secrecy laws, political involvement, abuse of authority, and causing harm.

Under Pakistan Army law, he had 40 days to appeal the Field General Court Martial decision. The appeal will first be reviewed by a senior military Court of Appeals, with the army chief holding final authority to uphold, change, or overturn the sentence.

• Faiz Hameed, retired ISI chief, sentenced to 14 years in military court; appeal filed within 40-day legal window.

• Conviction covers secrecy law violations, political engagement, misuse of authority, and coercive actions against property developer Kanwar Moeez Khan.

• Military appellate process first reviews appeal through senior Court of Appeals; army chief holds final authority to confirm or overturn.

*Appeal is incomplete and not in line with the truth. Appeal is rejected.”

That should be the response to the appeal filed by Faiz Hameed.#YaadHoAgarTumheYaadHo pic.twitter.com/v0qwPcxpiv

— Abdul Basit Khawaja | عبد الباسط خواجہ (@abasitkhawaja) December 29, 2025

Historically, the military’s appellate process has stretched over several years.

Announcing Hameed’s conviction and sentencing on December 11, the military’s media wing had said in a statement that the process of FGCM was initiated against him on August 12, 2024 under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act, spanning over 15 months.

“After lengthy and laborious legal proceedings, the accused has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said.

ISPR had further stated that the “involvement of convict (Hameed) in fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cohorts with political elements and in certain other matters is separately being dealt with”.

Hameed was referred to in the statement as “Mr Faiz Hameed, formerly a lieutenant general”, creating the impression he may have been stripped of his rank, although ISPR did not explicitly confirm this.

A source familiar with internal procedures told Dawn at the time any such withdrawal “is done through an administrative order” as per established rules, but declined to confirm whether it had occurred in this case.

Hameed, who retired in November 2022, is the first former ISI director general and only the second three-star general in Pakistan’s history to face a full military trial and be sentenced to a jail term.

The case against him originated from accusations by property developer Kanwar Moeez Khan, who alleged that in 2017 that Hameed — then a major general in ISI — and two officers orchestrated a raid at his home and offices, seized valuables and coerced him into paying Rs40 million and financing a private television channel. The matter resurfaced in 2023 when the Supreme Court advised the complainant to seek remedies through the defence ministry, leading to a formal military inquiry.

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While the Army Act typically allows action against retired personnel within six months of retirement, the proceedings reportedly invoked Section 2(d), which extends military jurisdiction to certain offences committed by persons not subject to military law, though exceptions were also available under Sections 31 and 40, which permit court martial regardless of time elapsed for offences involving mutiny, insubordination or fraudulent acts related to property.

A Court of Inquiry convened in April 2024 found grounds to proceed, leading to Hameed’s arrest on August 12 of that year. He was subsequently served a detailed charge sheet covering four categories of alleged misconduct: post-retirement political engagement; violations of the Official Secrets Act; misuse of authority, including the 2017 raid; and causing wrongful loss through coercive actions against Moeez.

The investigation was later widened to include several retired officers, among them retired Brig Ghaffar, retired Brig Naeem Fakhar and retired Col Asim, although the verdict did not state what determination the FGCM made regarding them.