Rawalpindi, Aug 3: Pakistan Army's Field General Court Marshal (FGCM) today handed out jail terms to a brigadier and four army majors for having links with the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
The FGCM have five years rigorous imprisonment to Brigadier Ali Khan, three years rigorous imprisonment to Major Sohail Akbar, two years rigorous imprisonment to Major Jawad Basheer, and one and a half year rigorous imprisonment to Major Inayat Aziz and Major Iftikhar.
A press release issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media wing of the army, said all four accused have been convicted besides other, of the charges for having links with the proscribed organization.
The convicts have the right to an appeal before the Army court of appeals, the press release said .
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an organisation that believes in the implementation of the caliphate all over the world. It is banned in most countries including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and even Saudi Arabia.
It was, for a short stint, banned in Pakistan but a judge of the Multan bench of the Lahore High Court ordered the ban to be lifted five years ago.
HT has not spared the Pakistani state and government and is openly challenging the writ of the state.
On its website, Hizbut Tahrir declares : "Pakistan, with its missile capability and strong professional army, is not a soft target. The US knows that Pakistan is capable of retaliating and hurting it more than it is willing to sacrifice.
"CENTCOM in Doha is within the reach of Pakistani missiles and the Pakistan Air Force. Similarly, the US Army in Afghanistan is virtually surviving on the supplies of petrol and food coming from Pakistan.
"One should also remember that it took the US a full year of military build up before they could go into Iraq.
"The Pakistani army is capable of sending more body bags to the US than they could ever imagine. Also, currently, the US army is stretched thin and they cannot recruit people to fight insurgencies let alone a full-fledged war with a nuclear state.”
In November, 2010, HT organised rallies in Pakistan "to inform people that the real change is only possible through the establishment of khilafat. Khilafat will sever NATO supply lines within hours of its establishment. It will suffocate the US by joining hands with the people of the tribal areas and Balochistan.” HT has also links with the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba.
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