Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed has decided to seek early retirement after being overlooked for the post of army chief, his family sources have confirmed on Saturday.
“Yes, Gen Saab has decided to seek early retirement,” a family source said.
Lt-Gen Faiz was among the six most senior generals considered for the posts of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the chief of army staff.
The government went with the principle of seniority and appointed General Asim Munir as army chief and General Sahir Shamshad as Chairman Joint Chiefs of staff committee.
Lt Gen Faiz has remained in the spotlight for several years for various reasons.
He first rose to prominence when he was heading the counter-intelligence wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence, known as DG-C. His name surfaced on the agreement government had signed with Tehreek-e-Labaik to end the 21-day-long sit-in at Faizabad in November 2017.
He was later promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and subsequently returned to the ISI as its chief. The PML-N had repeatedly accused him of influencing the courts to ensure convictions against its leadership.
He was at the center of yet another controversy when then-premier Imran Khan wanted him to continue as DG ISI but Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had other plans.
