Brig Ali Khan, four army officers convicted over Hizbut Tahrir links
Brig. Ali Khan, a senior Pakistani officer accused of plotting with a shadowy militant organisation to take over the military. — File photo
RAWALPINDI: The court martial proceedings of Brigadier Ali Khan, Major Inayat Aziz, Major Iftikhar, Major Sohail Akbar and Major Jawad Baseer, who were facing charges of having links with a banned outfit, were completed on Friday. All four accused have been convicted in the case, ISPR statement said.
The Field General Court Marshal (FGCM) has awarded a sentence of five years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) to Brigadier Ali Khan.
Major SohailAkbar was awarded three years RI while Major Jawad Baseer was sentenced to two years RI, whereas Major Inayat Aziz and Major Iftikhar have been awarded one year six months RI each.
All four convicts posses the right to appeal against their conviction before the Army court of appeals according to Pakistan Army Act, ISPR statement added.
It is the first time that senior army officers have been convicted and jailed over associations with banned organisations in the country on the frontline of the US-led war on al Qaeda and fighting its own Taliban insurgency.
The army did not name the organisation in a statement announcing the sentences, but officials have in the past identified it as Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Khan was detained days after US Navy SEALs found and killed Osama bin Laden in the military town of Abbottabad on May 2, 2011, reviving disturbing questions about ignorance or complicity within Pakistan’s powerful military.
Brigadier Khan was also accused of being involved in a conspiring to topple the government, trying to instigate a mutiny within the army and planning an attack on the GHQ.
The court martial’s proceedings against Ali started last year in December.
Khan was arrested a year ago and faced charges of conspiring with four other officers and a British member of the Hizbut Tahrir to recruit officers to the group including the commander of the army’s 111 Brigade, which covers the capital and has been historically linked to army coups.
During the seven-month long proceedings, five military officers recorded their testimonies from prosecutor’s side.
The officers had claimed that the accused, Ali, provoked them for mutiny against the civil leadership.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is not banned in Britain, but has been outlawed in Pakistan and lies on the fringes of Western concerns about links between the military and terror groups.
According to its website, it aims to resume the Islamic way of life by establishing an Islamic state that executes the systems of Islam and carries its call to the world.
Since bin Laden was killed, Pakistan has been under increasing pressure from the United States to crack down on militant sanctuaries in its northwestern border areas with Afghanistan and cut all ties with extremist networks.
Saddest day in pakistan's history !
Very good move…will keep the Army out of politics and prevent the radicalization of the armed forces.
Good news but not good enough punishment. These are snakes and will bite again given an opportunity.
It is good to try and punish would be traitors but what about Ayub, Yahya, Zia and Musharraf who committed high treason and got away with it.
This sentencing,perhaps,is the first step towards secularization of Pakistan?
Send them to jailed and punished hard and anyone support them country first.
All is fair in the name of "national interests".. at least he got a "trial".
Brig Ali Khan and four army officers were most badly treated because only the ISI Chief has the right to deal with the Taliban to gather his share of the US aid for making his bungalow.
The army should rise up, mutiny and kill Kiyani.
In army you are "guilty until proved otherwise" from the very beginning and interestingly you always remain guity throughout.
Those people who were born in the territories that are now Pakistan are neither slaves to the state of Pakistan, a corrupted good for nothing entity headed by crooks, nor any ideology and nor any religion or the Pakistan nation, a diverse ignorant and backward people.
Perhaps it is time that someone took notice of the evil unleashed by the political leaders, Maulvis and other bull operating in this country with complete impunity.
I do not owe a loyalty to anyone but God.
God does not need your loyalty. He instructs you to be loyal to the country you are living in.
can you help, where did God instructed that?
To arrive from point A to the point B, the army way is to make a straight line. But in real life that is not always possible. Sometimes you go half the way and then change the rout only to compromise at a point which is not point B at all and is never considered a defeat. Army had never been taught these subtle diplomacies. That is one reason why the Kashmir issue hasn’t been solved yet! The simple rule that is taught to them right from the beginning is never used in when in confrontation with enemy. That is to plan a retreat before you made an advance. They didn’t do that in East Pakistan, and they didn’t do that on Siachan and there are many such incidents where it was necessary to use. For the army to take over and rule the country is like a bridge- builder- civil- engineer to take over a hospital as a doctor. Is that too difficult for intelligent army officers to understand, especially after four embarrassing experiences?
Be short and price Please who bother to read your Gulistan Bustan
When governance of a country is not good and strong, many ambitious people want to take over and run it. If they are not caught, the history changes, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the worse. One thing is clear, the Pak Army was never built to rule the country. I admire the confidence of the army officers when they still think they can be the messiah of all national problems; I feel sorry that they never learn form their experience.
GOOD NEWS they should be in jail for life , they did not respect the country and their profession and country as motherland PAKISTAN IS OUR MOTHER .
Absolutely; they are not defenders of the people of Pakistan, and have their own selfish agenda. They should have been given a harsher punishment. I say this assuming that due course of law took place in the court judgement and sentencing.
its a shame that people here are supporting these people. No wonder we are in state that we are. These people are turning a blind eye to people destroying the integrity of Pakistan because franly I think they have a soft spot for these terrorists. I am not sure why because if they ever take over we will turn into another Afghanistan with zero religious or social freedom.
What a shame. Honest sincere officers like Brig Ali are punished while spineless puppets like Kiyani, Musharraf and Pasha are rewarded.
Brig Ali – loose not hope for – for every tyrant on the day of judgement a flag raised according to his treachery.
And you know that how?
Another terrorist in the making.
You have Just said what was in my Heart . Our Army General are actually American General and not Pakistanis . This is another tragedy after the Pindi Conspiracy Case of Faiz Ahmad Faiz. The Day good day of our nation will be when such great honest men Like Brig Ali will be successful.
Anyone doing anything against the country should be punished.
you mean we all should be punished
including all the dictators…
There can be no second opinion about this comment.
any one doing any thing against the current leadership should be praised
Why did they spare Muharaff and Zia and Ayub Khan?
Under current state of affairs, that would include almost the entire country.
Let's start cleaning up this Army that has been poisoned by Zia. Let's make this out fit a force that protects the country rather than destabalize it.