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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani army has started court martial proceedings against a brigadier and four other officers over suspected ties to a banned extremist group that has called for ousting the US-backed government, security officials said Saturday.
Brig Ali Khan and the other four officers were detained in May, 2011 for suspected links to the Hizb-ut-Tehrir group. Khan was working at the army’s headquarters near the capital Islamabad at the time of his arrest. Khan’s family has denied the allegations against him.
Two senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the military trial started recently but did not provide any other details. It was also not clear yet where the trial is taking place and what punishment the officers might face, if convicted.
Hizb is banned in Pakistan because of its extremist propaganda. The group also campaigns in Pakistan against the country’s alliance with the Unites States in the war on terror.
The group insists it has rejected violence, although observers say it promotes an intolerant mindset that can ultimately lead some followers to embrace militancy.
Khan’s lawyer, retired Col Inam Rahim, said after the arrest that his client had claimed he was detained for demanding that someone within the military be held accountable for the covert US Navy SEALs raid that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad.
