- Faiz Hameed graduated from Command & Staff College Quetta and was commissioned in the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army.
- On 6 October 2021, the army announced that Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had been appointed Peshawar Corps Commander.
- In 2018, he was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) for his services to the military.
Early Life and education
Sardar Faiz Hameed was born in Latifal, Chakwal. He has three brothers, Sardar Sikandar Hayat, Sardar Najaf, and Sardar Khizar. His brother Sikandar Hayat died in 2016 in an accident.
He joined the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul, He graduated from Command & Staff College Quetta and was commissioned in the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army.
Military Career
He has commanded a division and served as General Commanding Officer (GOC) of the 16th Infantry Division in Pano Aqil, Sindh from June 2015 to January 2017. In February 2015, he was promoted from the rank of brigadier to major general.
He was in-charge of the internal security wing at the ISI. He served as Director General CT Wing of the ISI from January 2017 till April 2019. Soon after his promotion as army chief, Gen Bajwa posted him as director-general (Counter-Intelligence) at ISI where he managed internal security and political affairs.
Faiz Hameed was among those who brokered the Faizabad agreement in 2017 between protesters from the Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) and the government, signing the agreement in the capacity of ‘guarantor’.
The army-brokered deal ended a protest by religious groups seeking the removal of then Law Minister Zahid Hamid for allegedly making amendments in the oath-taking of lawmakers.
On 21 November 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan initiated a suo motu case pertaining to the sit-in. On 6 February 2019, the court issued the judgment authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa which stated that intelligence agencies must not exceed their mandate.
Faiz Hameed was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in April 2019 after two-and-a-half-year service in ISI and was posted as Adjutant General at the GHQ in Rawalpindi.
DG ISI
In June 2019, the military announced the appointment of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed as the 24th Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
He replaced Lt Gen Asim Muneer, who was removed from his post after serving less than one year and was given charge of Commander Gujranwala Corps.
Lt Gen Faiz Hameed is best known for the role of chief spymaster. In September 2021, he visited Kabul just months after the Afghan Taliban took control of the country and discussed the changes after the US withdrawal.
A picture of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed having tea in Kabul went viral on social media. “Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” the ISI chief had told a reporter when asked what he hoped will happen in the country.
Corps Commanders
On 6 October 2021, the army announced that Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had been appointed Peshawar Corps Commander. However, the Prime Minister’s Office did not issue an official notification until three weeks later on the appointment, leading to speculations of rifts in civil-military relations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan later admitted he wanted Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to continue as DG ISI due to evolving situation in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US-led forces. He regretted that his move was misinterpreted and claimed the Opposition floated rumours that he wanted to see Faiz Hameed as next army chief.
In November 2021, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed took over command of Peshawar Corps from Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood where he served for less than a year.
On 9 August 2022, Pakistan Army posted Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed as commander of the Bahawalpur Corps.
He is one of the most widely-discussed contenders for the position of Chief of Army Staff after the retirement of Gen Bajwa.
In 2018, he was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) for his services to the military. He has also been deployed twice in the UN Peacekeeping Missions and received a medal serving in United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
