Faiz Hameed’s sentence contested in appeal filing

RAWALPINDI: Former Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed has filed an appeal against the sentence handed down by the military court.

His lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfa,q told the foreign journal Arab News that a legal appeal has been submitted to the relevant forum against the decision of the Field General Court Martial, but the details of the appeal were not disclosed.

Faiz Hameed was sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by a military court on December 11, finding him guilty on four charges.

He was claimed to have been proven guilty of charges of revealing official secrets, engaging in political activities, misusing authority and causing harm to others.

Under the Pakistan Army Act, there is a deadline of 40 days after the sentence to file an appeal, after which the matter goes to the Court of Appeals.

The initial review of the appeal is conducted by an officer of the rank of Major General or higher, while the Army Chief has the power to uphold, reduce or annul the sentence.

There are precedents in the past where the military appeals process has dragged on for years.

According to the ISPR, the Field General Court Martial proceedings against Faiz Hameed began in August 2024 and continued for 15 months.

The military spokesman also said that matters related to certain political activities were being looked into separately.

The statement described him as a former Lieutenant General, which gave the impression that he had been stripped of his rank, but this was not officially confirmed.