Brig Ali & Co jailed for links to banned group

[third eye]

ISLAMABAD - A military court on Friday awarded rigorous imprisonments to five Army officers, a Brigadier and four Majors, after having found them guilty of having links with a banned outfit, upon the completion of the Court Martial proceedings.

“Field General Court Martial (FGCM) proceedings against Brigadier Ali Khan, Major Inayat Aziz, Major Iftikhar, Major Sohail Akbar and Major Jawad Baseer have been completed. All five accused have been convicted besides other, of the charges for having links with a proscribed organisation,” Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The five Army officers were picked by the military intelligence agencies last year after months of surveillance amidst the suspicions that they had ‘strong’ and ‘direct’ links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a banned organisation in Pakistan.

In its first ever-recorded version on the issue, the HT’s Deputy spokesman Imran Yousufzai had neither confirmed nor denied the suspected links between the HT and the five Army officers, during a interview with The Nation printed June 24, 2011. “As policy, we neither confirm nor deny such news. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) sought Nusra (material power) and did not share details with the companions even. This is sacred work of global HT leadership and we continue to call people in power to give Nusra (material power) to Hizb-ut-Tahrir for re-establishment of Khilafah (Caliphate),”he had said.

The military statement said, the FGCM has awarded a sentence of five years rigorous imprisonment to Brigadier Ali Khan, Major Sohail Akbar has been handed down three years RI, Major Jawad Baseer sentenced two years RI, whereas Major Inayat Aziz and Major Iftikhar have been awarded 18 months RI each.

Convicts have the right to an appeal against conviction before the Army Court of Appeals as provided in the Pakistan Army Act, the statement added.

Brigadier Ali Khan was appointed at the Regulation Directorate at General Headquarters (GHQ) back in May 2009. He reportedly came under the surveillance radar of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) earlier last year.

After almost six months of surveillance, the ISI and MI, in a joint action, were reported to have picked the Brigadier from outside his residence on May 6, 2011. The intelligence authorities reportedly ran a check on him after some ‘suspicious’ persons were found frequently visiting his home.

Official said, the call records of Brigadier Ali’s cell phone confirmed the suspicions of intelligence agencies. Further probe into the matter had unearthed that four Majors were linked to Brigadier Ali and had strong association with HT.

The HT was labelled as a militant organisation and banned from functioning in 2003 during the former President Pervez Musharraf’s era. Musharraf had suspected that organisations like HT were instrumental in planning life attempts on him.

Brigadier Ali was to retire from Pakistan Army in June last year.

“We follow zero tolerance policy of such activities within the military. Therefore prompt action was taken on detection,” the former Director General ISPR Major General (Retd) Athar Abbas had commented to confirm the Brigadier’s and Majors arrests last June.

The Brigadier was to get a plot, already allocated for him, as per his official entitlement, upon his retirement from the Army at the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Rawalpindi. The said plot has been confiscated following his Court Martial, according to informed officials.

“In a couple of days, the confiscation notice would be circulated through an internal announcement,” officials said.

This newspaper tried to get HT’s version on the issue but its spokesman Naveed **** and Deputy Spokesman Imran Yousufzai were not available for comments.

“We reject this trial and we would continue our mission,” an HT official, requesting anonymity said.

 

[somebozo]

Why is Britain hosting known extremist organisations and terrorist like Altaf Hussien? Britian is another state sponsor of terrorism!

Links with banned group: Military court jails Brig Ali, four majors – The Express Tribune





Links with banned group: Military court jails Brig Ali, four majors
By Our Correspondent
Published: August 4, 2012
ISLAMABAD: A military court sentenced five military officers, including a brigadier, at a court martial on Friday, convicting them of links to a banned radical group. It is the first time senior army officers have been convicted and jailed over associations with banned organisations.
Brig Ali was sentenced to five years in jail, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The four others – Major Sohail Akbar, Major Jawwad Baseer, Major Inayat Aziz and Major Iftikhar – were jailed for three years, two years, and 18 months each, respectively.
The ISPR statement did not name the group, but officials have in the past identified it as Hizbut Tahrir (HuT). The group, headquartered in Britain, does not advocate violence, but has been accused of links to violent extremist groups.
The HuT is working to rid the Islamic world of ‘corrupt rulers’ and establish a caliphate on the pattern of medieval Islam.
The ISPR said the convicted officers have the right to appeal, but provided no details.
The HuT 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 militant groups.
Brig Khan was detained days after al Qaeda head honcho Osama bin Laden was killed in a top-secret US commando raid in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.
Brig Khan had allegedly become exceedingly vocal on sensitive issues and had even called for the resignation of army and ISI chiefs over the Bin Laden debacle.
Family and lawyer deny that Brig Ali had links with the HuT and claimed that the main reason behind his detention and subsequent conviction appears to be his highly critical stance on the army’s high command and its relationship with the US.
According to the BBC, Brig Khan had started writing letters to army generals, some of whom were his former colleagues, with suggestions on how to become ‘self-reliant’ and “to purge the army of the American influence”.
He allegedly told senior officers such as Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that Pakistan’s ‘unconditional’ support to the Americans was creating an environment of resentment in the lower ranks of the army.
Brig Khan is known to have a ‘brilliant’ service record and comes from a family with three generations of military service.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 4th, 2012.

 

[Awesome]

It is worth mentioning that Brig Ali faced court martial after he had resigned by the military rejecting his resignation 2 months after his resignation to try him out of civilian courts.

It is also worth mentioning this happened after Brig Ali questioned the role of GHQ higher ups to be involved in aiding Americans in the Abottabad raid.

The obvious question that needs to be asked is, has he been falsely accused to be a part of such a banned group (who I do reject as traitors) to save the necks of the Generals in GHQ?

I say try him but try him under a civilian court.

 

[third eye]

It is worth mentioning that Brig Ali faced court martial after he had resigned by the military rejecting his resignation 2 months after his resignation to try him out of civilian courts.

It is also worth mentioning this happened after Brig Ali questioned the role of GHQ higher ups to be involved in aiding Americans in the Abottabad raid.

The obvious question that needs to be asked is, has he been falsely accused to be a part of such a banned group (who I do reject as traitors) to save the necks of the Generals in GHQ?

I say try him but try him under a civilian court.

I am not aware of the details but consequent to the post above I have the following to put forth :

a) Just coz an officer resigns does not automatically imply that he is off.., his resignation needs to be accepted by the competent authority. Was his resignation accepted ? If not , then the point made w ould not be tenable. If it was then he has a good chance to win in an appeal to civilian courts . However , the military maintains a lien and a man can be charged under the Army Act for a while even after he superannuates. - This may be applied here, not sure of the laws in Pak.

b) It is normally considered to be stepping out of line and overstepping your reach for an Officer to question his higher ups on matters that are outside his military jurisdiction.

c) There must be a method for him to appeal to a civilian court.

 

[regular]

It is worth mentioning that Brig Ali faced court martial after he had resigned by the military rejecting his resignation 2 months after his resignation to try him out of civilian courts.

It is also worth mentioning this happened after Brig Ali questioned the role of GHQ higher ups to be involved in aiding Americans in the Abottabad raid.

The obvious question that needs to be asked is, has he been falsely accused to be a part of such a banned group (who I do reject as traitors) to save the necks of the Generals in GHQ?

I say try him but try him under a civilian court.

Army will never do that , they have their own courts to decide if the person goes against their military rules.......

 

[Mav3rick]

I am not aware of the details but consequent to the post above I have the following to put forth :

a) Just coz an officer resigns does not automatically imply that he is off.., his resignation needs to be accepted by the competent authority. Was his resignation accepted ? If not , then the point made w ould not be tenable. If it was then he has a good chance to win in an appeal to civilian courts . However , the military maintains a lien and a man can be charged under the Army Act for a while even after he superannuates. - This may be applied here, not sure of the laws in Pak.

b) It is normally considered to be stepping out of line and overstepping your reach for an Officer to question his higher ups on matters that are outside his military jurisdiction.

c) There must be a method for him to appeal to a civilian court.

Point b) Correct, but disciplinary action does not involve FGCM. His fault was that he openly questioned involvement of the Military in aiding the US for Abbotabad Raid.

Point c) I hope there is, lets see.

 

[Jango]

It is worth mentioning that Brig Ali faced court martial after he had resigned by the military rejecting his resignation 2 months after his resignation to try him out of civilian courts.

It is also worth mentioning this happened after Brig Ali questioned the role of GHQ higher ups to be involved in aiding Americans in the Abottabad raid.

The obvious question that needs to be asked is, has he been falsely accused to be a part of such a banned group (who I do reject as traitors) to save the necks of the Generals in GHQ?

I say try him but try him under a civilian court.

A retirement of an officer has to be approved by a specific branch in GHQ, and the process takes 2-3 months, not days.

He was an army officer, and conducted an offence under army rules, nothing wrong there as such.

As for the saving generals neck part, there has been talk within the army circles that he did indeed have some sort of contact at some point of time, and then persuaded his juniors to do so as well. So the HT links were proved.

And in the Army, you don't talk about any higher up, you don't talk radical, you adhere to a strict discipline.

 

[tarrar]

Why is the West concerned about these Militants who are operating from US Allied country UK it means UK Govt. is openly supporting terrorism, extremist & militant wings who are operating from their country. At the same time it is true that lower ranking officers are frustrated & tired of US & top Generals who are not doing anything to protect country from domestic threat which is from the corrupt politician.

I am disappointed with Gen. Kayani because he is quiet & he is not doing anything to stop act of vandalism from these corrupt politicians & these politicians are currently on rampage to destroy Pakistan completely & they are doing it.

No wonder why Gen. Musharraf is disappointed with Gen. Kayani.

 

[third eye]

Hizbut Tahrir and the army – The Express Tribune


The Pakistan Army has taken the right course by deciding that officers owing allegiance to banned organisations cannot be tolerated. A military court has sent to jail five military officers, including a brigadier, for membership of a terrorist organisation called Hizbut Tahrir (HUT) and for attempting to overthrow the political order in the name of religion. Brigadier Ali Khan got five years while Major Sohail Akbar, Major Jawwad Baseer, Major Inayat Aziz and Major Iftikhar have been jailed for three years, two years, and 18 months each, respectively. Brigadier Khan came into the focus of army investigators after al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad in May 2011. He called for the resignation of army and ISI chiefs over bin Laden’s killing and wrote letters to army generals on how to become self-reliant and cleanse the army of American influence.

The army is a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Anyone who arrogates to himself the right to work towards overthrowing the constitutionally established military institution in favour of whatever personal programme is guilty of treason and cannot be allowed to operate freely.

UK-based HUT and its sister outfit al Muhajirun were allowed into Pakistan in the early 2000s under former General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s government. Their founder, Umar Bakri, a Syrian Arab preacher, has since been exiled from the UK. Among his followers were many Pakistanis belonging to the largest Muslim minority in Britain.

According to a former HUT activist, Majid Nawaz, the HUT was set-up in Pakistan in the early 1990s by Imtiaz Malik, a British Muslim and in 1999, a call was sent to British HUT members to move to Pakistan, which prompted the movement of some of the UK’s top quality activists to South Asia. At least 10 British activists were planted in each of Pakistan’s main cities. Egypt, Libya and Pakistan banned the HUT which was proscribed by Pakistan in 2004, following an alleged plot to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf.

More recently, on October 22, 2009, the HUT was banned in Bangladesh for allegedly trying to destabilise the country. The home secretary of Bangladesh said the government “feared the HUT posed a serious threat to peaceful life”.

In his book, Islam under Siege: Living Dangerously in Post-Honour World (Polity Press 2003) Akbar S Ahmed, a former Pakistan’s High Commissioner in the UK, wrote:

“In Britain, Sheikh Umar Bakri’s Khilafah, the journal of the Hizbut Tahrir, attacked Jinnah as a kafir and an insult for a Muslim. Moreover, it accused Jinnah of being an enemy of God and of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) because Jinnah supported women, Christians and Hindus, and advocated democracy. Why, I asked myself, did they pick on Jinnah? Because, I concluded, Bakri saw him as a major ideological opponent. Significantly, after the American strikes in Sudan and Afghanistan in 1998, Bakri emerged in the media to claim that he represented Bin Laden in Europe” (P 113).

It is common knowledge in Pakistan that non-state actors have decided to shift their allegiance from Pakistan to terrorist organisations like al Qaeda. The Pakistan Army is fighting them in parts of our tribal areas and offering sacrifices in the shape of casualties to save Pakistan from the clutches of these terrorists. One deserter army officer, Major Haroon Ashiq, is in jail for working for al Qaeda, putting the nation on notice about the kind of danger Pakistan faces.

Misguided officers were moved more by blind emotion than by reason and information, otherwise they could not have joined an outfit that condemned the founder of Pakistan and the idea of Pakistan on the basis of which Pakistan has given itself a constitution. The army is overwhelmingly loyal to the ideology of Pakistan but a few officers may be led astray because of their insulation from civil society. In Pakistan, despite its efforts, the HUT has not won any support from an electorate that accepts democracy and votes for parties that accept the representative system operating in the country.

 

[karan.1970]

Isnt Pasha's failure to get an extension also linked to his alleged links to LeT and his alleged knowledge of Mumbai attacks?

 

[Pakistanisage]

I hope the Jail time can be commuted and the officers are allowed to serve with some loss of seniority if they promise to not repeat any contacts with this organization. No need to ruin spotless careers of bright officers.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

I hope the Jail time can be commuted and the officers are allowed to serve with some loss of seniority if they promise to not repeat any contacts with this organization. No need to ruin spotless careers of bright officers.

I think the West has been projecting Hizb ul Tahrir as a boogeyman for a while. The hypocrisy is disturbing especially in view of the fact that Hizb ul tahrir is non violent by its charter and just wants to discuss things. Whatever happened to West's values of freedom of expression. You can't have it both ways.

Original post by PakistaniSage.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-...-pakistan-sheep-s-clothing.html#ixzz22f6aWuzX


In the light of the fact, (by your own admission) that "Hizb ul tahrir is non violent by its charter and just wants to discuss things"; Why on earth should Brig. Ali and the assorted Majors promise anything at all? They did something in their best judgements, let them stand by it manfully.

You can't have it both ways!

 

[Jango]

Isnt Pasha's failure to get an extension also linked to his alleged links to LeT and his alleged knowledge of Mumbai attacks?

No, how did you make this up?

 

[Awesome]

A retirement of an officer has to be approved by a specific branch in GHQ, and the process takes 2-3 months, not days.

He was an army officer, and conducted an offence under army rules, nothing wrong there as such.

As for the saving generals neck part, there has been talk within the army circles that he did indeed have some sort of contact at some point of time, and then persuaded his juniors to do so as well. So the HT links were proved.

And in the Army, you don't talk about any higher up, you don't talk radical, you adhere to a strict discipline.

The details are so murky about this case that it just stinks. What if a soldier has undeniable proof of say a hypothetical scenario of Gen. Kayani acting in cahoots with the CIA on the Abottabad raid... The Army as an institution is a party to an alleged crime and it cannot be a competent authority to try Brig. Ali. There's conflict and bias. Hence a third party must try them.

 

[Patriot]

Asim your logic does not make any sense - Idiots like these can bring a lot of destruction for Pakistan - What if they become successful and gain power?World (US) will destroy our defense capabilities.No Compromise on Discipline in Army.No one is out to get our nukes but if these people gain power then world powers will have justification for any action.Pakistanis want to sacrifice their own country for jihadis.It's a sad sad reality.It's the same logic of those idiot Pakistanis who believed that Pakistan should have opposed Afghan Invasion and stopped US (like we could) Afghans would have been happier to see Pakistan's destruction.