January 10, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 9, 1426

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PESHAWAR, Jan 9: A court martial of the Pakistan Air Force has convicted a junior PAF technician for instigating mutiny and sentenced him to five years’ rigorous imprisonment.

It is learnt that the convict, Muhammad Niaz, who was charged under the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, hails from Swabi district. The sentence was pronounced by the court in late December.

The convict was tried by the court martial here under section 37 E of the PAF Act, dealing with mutiny. Although the offence carries death sentence or life imprisonment under the law, the evidence on record could not fully prove the case against the defendant. Therefore, he was sentenced only to five years’ imprisonment.

Family sources claimed that Mr Niaz was arrested from Rafiqui Air Base situated at Shoorkot after the two assassination attempts on President General Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.

The prosecution believed that the defendant had been preaching to colleagues at the air force base and had been instigating them to mutiny.