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PNS Mehran attack: Three Navy officers face court martial
Base commander, two others to stand trial for ‘negligence’ during the 16-hour siege of the naval airbase.
Three high ranking officers including the former PNS Mehran base commander are due to face a 10 member panel. PHOTO: AFP/NNI
KARACHI:
In a rare move, three officers of the Pakistan Navy are being brought before a military court for their alleged negligence during the attack on a naval airbase in Karachi, navy sources say.
Former PNS Mehran base commander Commodore Raja Tahir and two of his subordinates – one captain and one commander – are to face trial before a court martial. The captain was the squadron leader of the P3C Orion aircraft, two of which were destroyed in the May 22 attack and the commander was in charge of one of the units on the base. Neither man has been identified by name.
(Read: PNS Mehran attack: Vulnerable, embarrassed and targeted)
Sources inside the navy say that the news of the court martial proceedings has inculcated a sense of fear amongst the officer corps, with many officers fearing that they may be brought before the military court as well. Sources add that other names are likely to crop up during the hearings.
A military court operates much like a civilian court, relying on evidence and often expanding the scope of inquiry as the investigation proceeds. The lawyers, judges and the law by which the cases are judged, however, are all very different.
If convicted, the officers could face a censure, a dishonourable discharge from the service (which includes forever forgoing one’s rank and military honours as well as military pensions) or even imprisonment, depending on the nature of charges proven against them. Keeping up with the Navy’s attempts to downplay their investigations into the incident, Navy spokesman Commodore Irfanul Haque refused to divulge details about who was being prosecuted. Haque said that the board of inquiry had presented its recommendations to Naval Chief Admiral Noman Bashir, who then authorised the court martial proceedings.
The Navy’s internal inquiry into the attack is being headed by Rear Admiral Tahseenullah Khan.
While the Navy’s attempts to prosecute those responsible for what is described as a ‘colossal intelligence failure’ are likely to meet with approval, for some, the prosecutions are too timid.
Javed Iqbal, a retired vice admiral, said that the officers being prosecuted are too ‘junior’ and that far too many senior officers – including admirals – were being let off the hook.
“The PNS attack was a colossal intelligence failure that resulted losses to the tunes of billions. But have any senior ranking officials in the intelligence agencies or the Pakistan Navy been investigated?” he asked, adding that most officers are probably breathing a sigh of relief at having not been named.
Nonetheless, Iqbal welcomed the court martial proceedings, saying that it would give a chance to many officers to clear their names. He also cautioned against assuming that those being tried were complicit in the attack.
“It could just be a matter of being blamed for security lapses or the failure to perform certain duties during the attack,” said Iqbal.
The Navy, for its part, has been trying to keep the investigation as quiet as possible. Commodore Tahir was removed from his post as base commander within three days of the attack, though Navy officials had then tried to characterise the move as a ‘routine’ affair.
Within five days of the attack, however, there had been arrests in the case, with security officials arresting a former Pakistan Navy commando Kamran Ahmed Malik and his brother Zaman Malik from Lahore. However, they were released a few weeks later when authorities failed to gather enough evidence to implicate either of them.
The Navy has, in the past, arrested personnel from within its ranks who have been found to be associated with extremist or militant groups. In March 2010, five such men were arrested before they could stage an attack. All five remain in incarceration at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The men arrested last year were mainly junior commissioned officers and sons of Navy officers.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 4th, 2011.
Reader Comments (27)
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HAH.
The Army Official say ‘navy Yateem hai’.
I do not Mind their court-martial.
But why no court martial of Gen Pasha & Kiyani ? In Abbotabad raid issue ?
They’ll put the blame on a Local SHO ?
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We hope some heads will role
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its positive move!Recommend
Verdict: Guilty – transfered to another posting.
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This is great news if a little early to pass final judgement.
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I remember that soon after the attack the base commander was removed from his post – but the military spokesman went to great length to say that the transfer was just “routine” and definitely not linked to the terrorist raid.
So the spookesman was lying through his teeth – why not courtmartial him and his boss too for lying to the public?
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I would like to know why they are being court marshaled – for being negligent in allowing terrorist to take control of the base – for being negligent for not discovering that navy personnel had been cooperating with terrorist – because a few terrorist could not be overwhelmed by Pakistan elite forces after hours of fighting? Or are they being court marshaled because they themselves conspired with the terrorist? It would be nice to know what wrongdoing these men are accused of.
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Foreign hand, case closed.
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It seem certain that there other elements within Karachi who supported this attack. Ok fine, I am happy with the court martial, but hope these people serve full sentence under Pakistan Armed services penal code. But I am but skeptical of this verdict. what about the lower ranking support. I am sure the base commander was not on the base, so how these terrorists entered without given an sort of support from inside. Where was the OP? and where was the MP patrolling the hangers where millions of worth of equipmnet. If I have to do something, I would clean up the city of Karachi of this weapons and so much killing are going on, its just sickening that now the govt decided that enough is enough! what a joker is this Malik Rehman. I am sorry, he is the one who should be tried for negligence. He just passes statments that we know who is behind is all these killings. what a complete BS!
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@Incredible:
With your permission, verdict is guilty. As a result promoted to higher position of incompetence. In any case they are toward the end of their lucrative careers and would get to keep all their perks, benefits and previous exploits.
Why is our army who has broken more laws and committed more acts of high treason is immune from any legal action? No matter how incompetent and dangerous game they play, nothing happens to them. What is good for goose should be good for the gander.
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@Incredible
You have no idea what court marshal is, now matter how corrupt you feel the Military forces are, when someone is court marshaled, that’s the end of their career regardless of the outcome, If these officers are found to be not guilty they will retire on their current ranks.
If they are declared guilty to any counts, they will lose everything they earned. Don’t know about Pakistan but in US you can even get demoted in a court marshal.
So….. they wont just be transferred to another station you can stop worrying about that.
Also, i think its a good move… in a sense that in the minds of public the reputation of military would somehow get better as finally we can see there is some check and balance..
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@Cautious:
you have an important point…….
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@Realist.: Let us all defend our nation first by defending against selfishness, and then by taking examplary measures who go against the norms of a society.
Accountability and justice are core to the success of any organization PN is no exclusion. So what is done WE ALL ARE ASHAMED OF OUR PROTCTORS. Therefore, all involved in this hedious business must be taken to task until they lick the dust.
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Why only three officers are being court martial. This was a major lapse
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@Arindom: Court martial naval officers for lying to the public ..I got a nice laugh ;)
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“Do More”. Net in seniors. There must not be any scape goats. Word JIHAD is misused widely in our armed forces. Structure in itself is faulty. It sometimes fails to differentiate between “Friends and Foes” even within the system. Real faces must be exposed and justice must be done according to the law in our armed forces.
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What about the Airforce Security Staff and Commander Faisal Base, Mehran Base is small area allotted to Navy within the Faisal Base. Terrorist did not land directly on Mehran Base by Parachutes they passed Airforce Security Check Posts. The rockets that eventually destroyed the P3 Orion aircraft were fired from distance. Why did’nt Airforce security check them were they all asleep or made to sleep. Why only Navy is being blamed. This was basically intelligence failure. Navy soldiers I think fought well, killed all terrorist and did’nt allow the terrorist to take anybody hostage.
Whereas in GHQ attack the terrorist took sizeable number people as hostages. It took Army more hours to free the hostages and GHQ from almost the same number of terrorists with all might that they have and thereafter nothing happended
We should understand that the country is in grip of internal / external terrorism. What we need is unified approach to tackle this menance. All forces civil and armed should unite togeather instead of finger pointing or shifting the blame on others. There is good old saying ” Together you stand divided you fall.”Recommend
When the international community raised the possibility of rogue officers in the Pakistani military, Gen. Musharraf and later Kayani laughed it off saying Pakistani military was as professional as the best in the world. Well, we just saw proof of that. I hope Pakistanis now realize why the world is worried about Pakistani nukes. It is in their interest to flush the army of extremist thinking.
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All responsible officer who devoted their life for the profession, just by chance happened to be on duty are being court martial. It is not fair but ridiculous.
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When do they become Dean’s at Bahria Univ?
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The Naval Chief should have resigned on this incident instead of putting the blame on junior officers. In any other country where a moral infrastructure was still intact this is what would have happened …however in Pakistan the seniors are never honorable enough to resign !
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The attack of terrorists in the mehran base is the failure of the security.The court martial of the three officers is not the solution of these attacks.if we wants to stop these attacks.we have to fulfil the gaps which were the main reason of these attacks.I blamed the politicans for this incident.because they don,t take a strong step to stop terrorism.why did they don,t think that those who die in these attacks.what is the condition of their families when they heard that anyones father or husband or son or brother is gone forever.After all this terrorism could not stops until the nation awakes and they demand for a revolution change.
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I see some hope of accountability. But yes, very little hope at a higher level! The Generals dont retire & give a chance to others on merit but atleast there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
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But according to chief, there was no any flaw in security. This is the biggest flaw that you have their people amongst you.
Anyway, this news is the chain of the revealing secrets for which Saleem Shehzad. So, Saleem Shehzad was damn right.
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.. A positive move…. Every one should be and could be… ACCOUNATBLE……after all its tax payers money that funds the pay for armed forces… we do love our ARMY…..but cannot bear the thought of them getting slack in the line of duty…!!!!!!!
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Brigadier “Tiger” Niazi (Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi) was never court martialled for the infamous and cowardly debacle in East Pakistan. Mehran incident is just a blimp compared to what happened in what is now prospering Bangladesh.
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No doubt,
it is a case of negligence,
terrorists could be stopped beyond the wall
but they failed,
why?
was some compromise from the inside
as media is leveling allegations,
court will reach the reality.
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