Alleged Hizbut Tahrir links: Brigadier opts for court martial
Brigadier Ali Khan, who was arrested in May for his alleged links with the banned militant outfit Hizbut Tahrir (HuT), has opted to be tried by court martial, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Brig Khan’s decision came soon after an inquiry board informed him that the allegations leveled against him had been substantiated. Brig Khan rejected the inquiry board’s findings and asked the officials concerned to prove the allegations before the court.
Brig Attique of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) declined to comment on the case or speculate whether he (Brig Khan) would face a military court.
An army official said that investigations against the arrested officer were still under way, even after two months. An inquiry was initiated after Brig Khan was arrested in May.
He was to be retired from the army on July 9 after completing his service tenure but he remained under detention.
The arrested officer will be allowed to hire a defence lawyer from among the legal branch of Pakistan Army, a source familiar with the procedure said. He “can also hire a civilian defence counsel to contest his case in the military court under the Pakistan Army Act”, the source said. The army detained Brig Khan, who was at that time serving at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, a week after the US incursion in Abbottabad on May 2.
The brigadier was charged for his alleged ties to extremist organisations, including the banned UK-based organisation HuT. A day later, four army majors were also arrested for their alleged links with HuT. It is yet to be ascertained whether the other four army officers will also be put on trial along with Brig Khan.
Meanwhile, security agencies arrested HuT deputy spokesperson Imran Yousafzai from Islamabad earlier this week. According to the HuT announcement, Yousafzai who is second-in-command of HuT in Pakistan was arrested when he was on his way to meet a local journalist. Security agencies arrested another Hizbut Tahrir activist from Islamabad right after Yousafzai’s arrest. Three other HuT activists were arrested from Islamabad and Multan.
Demanding the release of their activist, HuT has warned authorities that their “struggle…will continue unabated”.
Officials familiar with the army procedure of court martial are expecting a joint trial for the arrested army officers and the HuT activists.
According to a Supreme Court ruling, a civilian can be tried by the military tribunal if the person is implicated in an offence against the Pakistan Army, said lawyer Qazi Mohammad Anwar.
The Express Tribune has learnt that the arrested HuT activists were accused of providing “inflammatory” material to army officers, besides urging them to work against their high command and the civilian government.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2011.
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Dear All, read Mirza one more time, but be positive, don't get emotional, think at 360*. If your secretary is chating all the time on net with friends, do you fire or reward him/her. In all cases above, you are rewarding the culprits, that is the reason, Pak is in trouble.
@Hasan Mehmood: Amen bro. I agree with you completely. Even talking about the blasphemy laws can be dangerous in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Unless there is a complete separation of mosque and state, Pakistan would continue its downward spiral. The rightwing terrorists may not have the votes but they have all the street power and the establishment to support them. Thanks and regards, Mirza
@Mirza:
I agree with you. Anyway where were the advocates of freedom of speech when Salman Taseer was gunned down. Is the freedom of speech reserved for spreading hate, bigotry, narrow mindedness and incitement to rebellion? Are the defenders of HT willing to give freedom of speech to democratic / liberal forces without the danger of getting gunned down or branded anti muslim, Kafir, USA puppets etc etc.
he could be the " Che Guavera" of pakistan !! considering the slave and puppet military and political leadership...
one voice of truth stands in the face of tyrants, one voice which represents the notion and desire of 99 % pakis... he n HuT might be the symbol of revolution n only hope for pakistan !! liberate us from american slavery n the misery we live in !!
@Kashif: That's the typical argument employed to silence the voices of sanity through emotional blackmail. I am a proud Muslim, pray 5 times and keep away from major sins. But why should my faith and loyalty to Islam be questioned if I do not agree with stone age / barbaric versions of Islam being peddled by Jehadi / Terror outfits. If recent opinion surveys are to be believed the support for Jehadi outfits is more among middle class than lower class whereas the lower classes are supposed to better practising Muslims. SO YOU NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT OUR FAITH.
Some people are confusing the issue with democracy and freedom of speech. The armed forces even in the US have their own laws and they are not allowed the same freedom as the civilians. Even in Pakistan, the forces have their own and more strict rules and laws. Even civilian govt employs are not allowed to take part in politics let alone army officers. While civilians are allowed to go to any country, the officials of armed forces have to seek permission from their departments. In fact all govt employs are supposed to do that. While in active military service, this man had no shame or fear while supporting any ideological organization, which is opposed to the govt. breaking the laws of armed forces and the country, is the issue not freedom of speech or ideology. The poor civilians do not pay these fat cats to indulge in anything other than following orders.
The ideology of HuT is venom against the existence of any Islamic or non-Islamic state.
@Kashif All the people commenting here are not Pakistanis.Many of them are Indians in disguise.
would the sincere officers please stand up? Account your leadership! time has come to throw America and her agents out for good!
HT is not a militant organization.Communist parties in various countries openely propogate their ideology.Whats wrong if HT does so..the same old islamophobic comments on a low-rated newspaper website lacking any sense.
Very well said. I agree. loss of life is loss of life who ever may be the killer.@mian waheed:
The Problem is NOT with the 'Ideaology' of HuT , its The People who are trying to implement it ( esp here in Britain). they them selves are indulged in intrest from Banks, their parents are on State Wefare, their homes are o nMortgage from banks and they have sworn on Queen's name to be loyal to her and her ideology for sake of being british .... now when people like these tries to implement shaiyat in Pak ( who merely visits or lived in Pak) , are them selves a threat to their own ideology... their multi standerds , are a conflict in their league's intrest.. they dont have proper answers when you ask them about how will they run the economy ( if they'll come in to power) ... all they are doing it earning in Pounds and having first world life style ( like all political parties) and making the daily wage earner poor pakistani to fight for their cause ( about which they themselves are confused) !
I think he should free as soon as possible. He should allow to give his opinion publicly. They call about freedom.. but is it freedom? Even they are not following their beliefs.
Ht wants an Islamic state not a secular interest based thing u guys call an Islamic republic ht are a joke but the point is the idea of a caliphate is not khilafa minhajan nabuwa has been promised by the Messenger of Allah either u accept or reject
@Nazir Habib:
"Our much respected armed forces must STOP promoting, encouraging and providing succour to Islamic Jihadist cum militant groups. But is it too late now???"
You are asking a very important question. The problem is once you start riding the Islamic "tiger", you it is nearly impossible to get off of it without getting eaten. No disrespect meant, but that is a fact. I wish the secular minded Pakistanis all the best to getting the country off of the "tiger".
@Nazir Habib: "...For the simple reason, that our ubiquitous mulla has pervaded and penetrated his half-baked ideas of Islam into the hearts and minds of the populace...." So had Hitler's fascist ideas pervaded every German. The cost to be paid may be horrendous but it has to be paid otherwise Islam is doomed. If Muslims don't do it, the non-Muslims worldwide shall do it for you. Do not then complain about collateral damage!
@hasan mehmood: "...WE SHOULD ALLOW ALL SORTS OF IDEOLOGIES / MOVEMENTS AS LONG AS THEY COMMIT TO THE IDEAL OF RULE OF MAJORITY. " Nazi fascism was also brought about by a perfectly democratic system of "the rule by majority" but how did it turn for the rest of the world? You have indicated this yourself by responding to s.g.geelani:"Its a typical example of availing the benefits of democracy by those who don’t believe in democracy to start with. Let HT swear allegiance to democratic norms and struggle like other political parties. When in power they can amend the constitution and establish a caliphate. Remember Nawaz Sharif almost got away with it based on his two thirds majority."
@s.g.jilanee:
It cannot preach its hatred filled Ideology because they are a terrorist organization.
Reading various comments here , it seems that Pak youth don't carry the Islamic sentiments anymore.Their minds are polluted with western idea of "liberal n secular " filth.
The people who were known for their loyalty to Islam only , now seem to be turning away from it. This is very unfortunate state. I just hope that i am wrong in drawing this conclusion from these comments.
@Salman: "How can a serving brigadier be against the country’s constitution?"
I agree, its unheard of. He was trying to do a COAS's job.
Verdict: Guilty.
Wasnt he retiring anyways in a months time?. Story goes he opened his mouth in one of Kiyanis meeting with the officer corp and asked a few embarrassing questions.....Big Mistake...Should have kept his mouth shut and taken the DHA plots...
A muslim beleives in Allah and what prophet mohammed sal has brought is a system of islam and is a deen. please understand that caliphate is the only form of an islamic goverance.a society like pakistan where people beleive in Allah and his deen will get success in this life and hereafet only by living under islam. saying these is not a crime any where in the world. pakistan was initially created with the intention of ," pakistan ka matlab kia - la ilahaa illah.."
Hizb guys are out on force, on this news bit. =)
How can a serving brigadier be against the country's constitution? He is simply a morally corrupt person and should be punished. . You cannot be a proponent of Hizb ut Tahrir and support the democratic constitution of the country at the same time.
@ Dreamer i think u r dreaming shayan is right.
The brave Brigadier have called Army's bluff! Bravo!
To whom it may concern Yesterday there was a news in the media that Syrian government forces opened fire on the civilian protesting against government and 32 people were killed. Was there any protest in any Muslim country? Whether those 32 civilians were not human beings? Or is it OK for a Muslim dictatorial regime to kill as many Muslims as they like who are demanding freedom, reforms, justice and a voice of their own? When Muslims raise their voices or loudly protest against killing of Muslims by USA or NATO, etc. I always want to know why there are double standards among common Muslims? Why Muslims do not rise above the biases of religion when their religion preaches them that lives of all human beings are equally sacred?
Democracy and freedom of speech I think it should be understood that freedom and democracy comes with responsibility. Though it is true that the majority of voters decide the issues but their are certain basic rights which can not be taken away by the majority of voters.
Islam is as Islam does.
HuT provides intellectual cover to TERROR in PAK and UK. Lets crush it by law else like in all previous cases these terrorist will start crying foul. Kill them by law not force
@s.g.jilanee:
Its a typical example of availing the benefits of democracy by those who don't believe in democracy to start with. Let HT swear allegiance to democratic norms and struggle like other political parties. When in power they can amend the constitution and establish a caliphate. Remember Nawaz Sharif almost got away with it based on his two thirds majority.
As for peaceful / harmless preaching of HT, you dont seem to be reading the comments for a proper context. Our people are too scared to stand up to any religious dogma for the fear of being branded Kafir and declared Wajib-Ul-Qatal.
There are fringe groups in every country including USA / UK / France etc but they are kept at arms length and the Civil Society is strong enough to face the lunatics. Unfortunately not so in our case.Can you ever imagine a huge rally in support of secularism (by its supporters) like in Turkey.
Get ur facts right. HT is not banned in the uk. This is the problem with such kournalist who have the time dnt get their facts right
Why army is not releasing his latest photo? He has long beard.
Pakistan is a democracy, isn't it? So why can't HT preach its ideology, unless it is incites to violence and crime. In the US some people protest at the burial of soldiers fallen in the war, some preach hate against Islam and so forth, freely.
@Shams
You can never engage in a constructive dialogue with people fed with religious dogmas. I am sure the military will not go for the option of court martial as that is what all religious propagators want. In a society based on religious foundations, people generally are afraid to stand up and be counted against extremism , specially in the present environment when you had hardly anyone present to say even a fateha for the Governor of the biggest province, a man coming from awell known family with cultural standing.
The fault with Egypt was they didnt provide a democratic secularistic alternative to the people nor a normal welfare state thats why brotherhood has survived. If the state looks after the welfare of people then the religious cum social networks will not grow and feed on the fears of the people
@Dreamer: I agree with you 100%.
This patriotic brigadier should be released ASAP
@Shams uz Zaman: In theory you may be right but not in practice. WE SHOULD ALLOW ALL SORTS OF IDEOLOGIES / MOVEMENTS AS LONG AS THEY COMMIT TO THE IDEAL OF RULE OF MAJORITY. But these movements never aspire for democratic / non violent change. If TTP wants to bomb and terrorize the state to submission, HT hopes for in house change i.e mutiny in the ranks of Muslim Armies.Both are catastrophic. So please open your eyes.
I can just hope that we don't repeat the same mistakes which were committed by Egyptian government some 50 years ago. To deal with extremism and terrorism with a same policy would turn things from bad to worst. Had Egyptian government handled Muslim brotherhood in a more constructive way, the history of Islamic extremism and terrorism would definitely would have different. The crackdown by Jamal Abdul-Nasir and Sadaat on the organizations involved in a political struggle resulted in an armed revolt against the government and its spread across the globe. Pakistan is repeating the same mistake. What we need to do is engage with them in a constructive dialogue, maybe conducting the debate on national and private channels while accepting their legitimate demands and make them to accept our legitimate demands. Such crackdowns and coercive measures ultimately force such organizations in a corner to pick up arms against the state which we at the moment can't afford. If the Brigadier has opted for court martial, he must have been penalized for asking tough questions from superiors and maybe there won't be sufficient evidence against him or else he would have preferred to have been discharged from service. I am not sure whether this case could become a thorn in the throat for our current military leadership or not.
@Dreamer: I agree with you. People just dont realize the importance of mindset. This is the stepping stone of terrorism. Let me explain. HT propagates the overthrow of Govt to replace it with a Caliphate. Now they cant do it in an election. On the other hand there will be a critical mass of their supporters fully convinced of their cause but equally frustrated with lack of results. It is quite conceivable that some of them will be attracted to TTP and other terror outfits based on their plea : We have the same goal i.e unadulterated enforcement of Sharia across the board. Why not join hands. You have the intellectuals and we have the fighters. And if some of the so convinced include persons of the stature of Brigadier Ali Khan, you can imagine the consequences.So basically in normal times there would not be any harm in HT preaching but in the present environment it may have dangerous repercussions.
As a side note I may personally feel attracted to an Islamic Caliphate but cant see it happening. Lets assume Saudi Arab is the seat of Islamic Caliphate. Now as a matter of principle there cant be two standards of living / facilities in a Caliphate. That means a Saudi national and a Yemeni / Sodani / Eriterian national should have the same standard of living as the resources of Caliphate have to be equally distributed. Now my question is will the RICH SAUDI NATIONALS and other Gulf inmates agree to such a system? So basically the HT people are chasing a pipe dream and in the process poisoning the mindset with devastating consequences down the line. Well thats my two bit worth of analysis.
@Dreamer:
Dreamer what about the ideology of USA. Killing the Muslims,bombing the Muslim countries & let his allies Israel kill innocent muslims with lates technology just made to kill muslims. Why USA is too anxious about islamic literature and people like you. Please see the atrocities of the jewish n christian wolrd over muslims. Only difference is they are doing all this in an organized way with the help of electronic media.
Our much respected armed forces must STOP promoting, encouraging and providing succour to Islamic Jihadist cum militant groups. But is it too late now??? For the simple reason, that our ubiquitous mulla has pervaded and penetrated his half-baked ideas of Islam into the hearts and minds of the populace. Where is education??? Where are the jobs??? Where is the most important financial moral, "pay your taxes and return borrowed monies." Where is justice and equity??? Where is hard work and building your own future rather than remain loving bed-fellows with the USA and the west??? My Salam to our ignoramus politicians and planners.
@Dreamer: The concept itself is daydreamer's concept. You guys are living in 21st century for god sake understand the practicality of the current situation.
Hizb is not UK bases as the article suggest. Shallow journalism
@Shayan: Have you ever read any of their pamphlets? The ideology is the most important thing in a fight like this. You can kill the bombers, but if an ideology such as that of HuT gains a foothold, extremism can never be defeated.
So much for the "battle of ideas“
Looks like Pasha's trip to America is bearing fruit! Thanks for doing the right thing. Let the officer have his day in court. Hopefully it is the beginning of the end of army's support to terrorist organizations.
The first pertinent question will the high command allow court-martial procedure against Brig Ali Khan and the other officers accused.If they do allow! would that open the Pandora box containing the treasures of Hades. Already in state of muck and accused, wisdom should prevail and egoistic tendencies buried deep in earth.
Its so funny that while our Govt. has sheltered and supported militants, it goes into strict action over an organization that does not hold arms and is just preaching ideology, whether right or wrong. At least they arent bombing my country.