The army has decided to court martial Brigadier Ali Khan and four other officers, who were arrested last year for alleged ties with banned extremist organisation Hizbut Tahrir.
Brigadier Khan and the other four serving army officers were arrested last year on May 6 on charges of having links to Hizb, which is said to be involved in activities aimed at overthrowing of what it believes is a pro-US Pakistani government. Brigadier Khan was serving at the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army when he was arrested. Khan’s family has denied the charges levelled against him. Khan’s lawyer, Colonel Inam Rahim, had reportedly said after his arrest that his client had claimed that he was detained for demanding that someone within the army must be held accountable for the covert US raid that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2, while keeping Pakistan in the dark.
A security official said on condition of anonymity that Brig Khan was formally indicted last week and court martial proceedings against him would commence soon. “Khan has been formally indicted and the summary of evidence in support of the charges levelled against him is also attached with the charge sheet,” he said. There has been no confirmation or denial so far by the ISPR as for the army’s decision to start court martial proceedings against Khan, but the security official said Khan’s family had contacted a noted lawyer of court martial cases, Colonel (r) Muhammad Akram, to defend him in the military court. “The charges against Khan suggest that he was in contact with Hizb, had meetings with its activists and had assured them of his support to their cause. He also allegedly tried to impose Hizb’s agenda in the GHQ and tried to win over some of his colleagues at the GHQ,” the official said. He said the other military officials arrested with Khan and some activists of Hizb would also have to face the court martial proceedings.
Hizbut Tahrir, which has been banned for being an extremist organisation, has been reportedly involved in distribution of pamphlets in different cities that called on army officers to establish an Islamic caliphate. It is also said to be involved in issuing appeals to the soldiers to rise against the leadership of the Pakistan Army for keeping ties with the United States.
Brigadier, four others face court martial over HT links
