‘Holy Cows’ on Trial: Is Pakistan Finally Changing?

Shazia Mehboob 

Islamabad: On December 11, 2025, Pakistan witnessed an unprecedented moment when its former intelligence chief, Faiz Hameed, was sentenced to fourteen years of rigorous imprisonment by a military court.

Convicted of engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act, and misusing authority and state resources, the verdict marked a rare instance of accountability within an institution long considered immune to scrutiny.

The conviction is extraordinary in a country where the military has ruled directly for nearly half of its history and continues to exert decisive influence even under civilian governments.

In Pakistan’s political imagination, senior military officers are often treated as “holy cows,” beyond the reach of law. Against this backdrop, the punishment of such a powerful figure is widely seen as historic, carrying symbolic weight for Pakistan’s fragile democratic order.

Faiz Hameed was among the most influential officers of his generation. As Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 2019 to 2021, he occupied the apex of Pakistan’s security apparatus and was widely perceived as a strong contender for the post of Chief of Army Staff.

His proximity to political power, particularly during a turbulent phase of civil-military relations, made him a central figure in debates over military interference in politics.

Hameed’s arrest in August 2024 stemmed from allegations of land grabbing and coercive seizure of property belonging to the owner of the Top City housing project near Islamabad. Initially reported by senior journalist Aizaz Syed, the case did not trigger immediate legal action, and a conspicuous silence surrounded the accusations.

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It was only after subsequent political shifts—most notably the ouster of Imran Khan’s government—that the allegations resurfaced, eventually forming a crucial part of judicial scrutiny.

Following his retirement, additional violations of the Pakistan Army Act came to light, prompting court-martial proceedings.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Hameed was tried on four charges: political interference, breaches of the Official Secrets Act, misuse of authority, and causing wrongful loss to citizens. The verdict has generated cautious optimism, suggesting that even the most powerful figures within the military may no longer be entirely beyond accountability.

Yet the significance of this moment extends beyond one individual. For many observers, the conviction represents a potential turning point—an internal acknowledgment within the military that unchecked power carries consequences. Whether this sets a durable precedent or remains an isolated episode, however, remains an open question.

This narrative of accountability appeared to broaden on December 18, 2025, when President Asif Ali Zardari approved the de-notification of Islamabad High Court judge Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri on the advice of the prime minister. Earlier, the Islamabad High Court had ruled that Justice Jahangiri lacked a valid LLB degree at the time of his appointment and directed him to vacate office.

The decision, announced by a two-member bench led by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, followed the cancellation of Jahangiri’s law degree by the University of Karachi. According to a notification dated September 25, the university syndicate upheld the recommendation of its Unfair Means Committee, concluding that the degree was invalid.

Beyond the removal of an individual judge, the case exposed deeper structural flaws.

The prevalence of fake degrees points to a broader crisis within Pakistan’s education system, where credentials are allegedly sold to undeserving candidates, enabling their professional rise through fraudulent means. This not only erodes merit but systematically marginalizes millions of citizens who possess verified degrees and strong academic records yet struggle to access opportunities.

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At the same time, the decision sent a rare but powerful message: even members of the higher judiciary are not immune from scrutiny. In a country where judicial credibility has often been contested, such action has the potential to rebuild public trust—provided it is applied consistently and transparently.

The accountability narrative gained further momentum on December 20, when former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi received additional prison sentences in the Toshakhana state gift fraud case.

The court sentenced them to a combined 17 years of rigorous imprisonment for violating laws governing state gifts, after Bushra Bibi allegedly received a luxury jewellery set from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.

The sentences—ten years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, along with a fine—are to run concurrently with earlier convictions. Khan has rejected the verdict as politically motivated, and his legal team has announced plans to challenge it.

As with previous cases against him, public opinion remains sharply divided between those who view the ruling as selective accountability and those who see it as long-overdue enforcement of the law.

Taken together, the punishment of Faiz Hameed, the removal of Justice Tariq Jahangiri, and the conviction of Imran Khan raise a fundamental question: do these developments mark the beginning of a transparent, merit-based, and corruption-free system in Pakistan?

Or do they merely reflect shifting power alignments—moments where accountability is exercised selectively, shaped more by political necessity than by institutional reform?

The answer will depend not on high-profile convictions alone, but on whether accountability becomes systematic, predictable, and blind to power.

Until then, Pakistan stands at a crossroads—caught between the promise of reform and the familiar pattern of selective justice.

Shazia Mehboob is a PhD scholar and a visiting faculty member. She is also an investigative journalist and the founder of The PenPK.com. She tweets @thepenpk.