In 2017, Hameed led the wing of the spy agency concerned with domestic issues, a division often criticized for alleged interference in politics. He was perceived as an enforcer for then-Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, with accusations that the military played a role in skewing the 2018 elections in favor of Mr. Khan.
In 2019, General Hameed was appointed chief of the spy agency, succeeding General Munir, who was abruptly removed from the post by Mr. Khan. In many ways, the current political turmoil in the country is also a result of the feud among these three figures.
As the spy agency’s chief, General Hameed soon became a close ally of Mr. Khan and used his position to intimidate and arrest the prime minister’s political opponents on what they said were trumped-up charges. Opposition politicians viewed him as running government affairs from behind the scenes while serving as spy chief. (Mr. Khan now makes similar accusations against the current military leadership.)
General Hameed was also seen as a supporter of the Afghan Taliban, having backed their takeover of Kabul after the American withdrawal in August 2021, and he and Mr. Khan approved the policy of repatriating Pakistani Taliban militants from Afghanistan back to Pakistan, which critics say has resulted in the return of militancy in the country.
