Pakistan’s former ISI chief, Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed, has been detained on Monday by the military pending his court-martial related to the Top City housing scheme scandal. This event marks the first instance in Pakistan’s history where a court martial is being conducted against a former intelligence chief.

The Pakistan Supreme Court, last year, highlighted allegations of an “extremely serious nature” against the ex-spymaster Hameed, stating they “cannot be ignored.” The apex court cautioned that the credibility of the nation’s institutions could be compromised if these allegations were substantiated.

Subsequently, the Pakistan Army formed a committee in April to probe the accusations of abuse of power by Hameed, the erstwhile head of the ISI.

The management of Top City accused the former ISI chief of orchestrating a raid on the offices and residence of its owner, Moeez Khan. Following the Supreme Court’s directive last year, Khan was advised to seek redress from the Defence Ministry regarding his complaints against Hameed.

Khan claims that Hameed led raids on the Top City office and his residence, confiscating valuable items such as gold, diamond jewellery, and cash under the guise of a purported terrorism case, as per a 2017 petition.

The petition further mentions that Hameed’s brother, Sardar Najaf, intervened in an attempt to settle the dispute.

During the mediation, Hameed reportedly agreed to return some of the confiscated items except for 400 tolas of gold and a sum of cash. Nevertheless, retired Brigadier Naeem Fakhar and retired Brigadier Ghaffar of the ISI are alleged to have coerced Khan into “paying 4 crores in cash” and “sponsoring” a private television network for several months.

In March 2023, the former Interior Minister, Rana Sanaullah, also disclosed that Hameed and his brother were under investigation for alleged corruption and amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.