Army chief dismisses serving officer for misusing authority
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Our Correspondent
Published: August 20, 2019
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COAS General Bajwa. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The Pakistan Army dismissed a major rank officer from service for misusing authority, said a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“The court adjudged the accused officer guilty of misusing his authority. Pakistan Army, alive to its institutional accountability system has dismissed the officer from service and sent him to jail for life.”
The sentence, passed after the officer was tried by a field general court martial, was confirmed by Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Earlier, a three-star retired general had been sentenced to 14 years in jail and a retired brigadier awarded the death sentence by field general courts-martial on charges of espionage and leaking “sensitive information” to foreign agencies.
A doctor associated with a “sensitive organisation” had also been handed down capital punishment on similar charges.
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According to ISPR, General Bajwa endorsed the punishment to the officers on the charges of “espionage and leaking of sensitive information to foreign agencies prejudice to national security”.
The officers — identified by the military’s media wing as Lieutenant General (retd) Javed Iqbal, Brigadier (retd) Raja Rizwan and Doctor Wasim Akram — were tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act by separate field general court martial in separate cases.
Lt Gen (retd) Iqbal had been awarded 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, while Brigadier (retd) Rizwan has been handed down the death sentence. Doctor Akram, who, according to the ISPR, was employed at a sensitive organisation, has also been awarded the death penalty.
Last year, former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif dismissed 11 military officers over corruption charges which included one lieutenant general, one major general, five brigadiers, three colonels and one major.
Army chief confirms life sentence for serving major over misuse of authority
Naveed SiddiquiAugust 20, 2019
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Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. — INP/File
Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has confirmed the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to a serving army major for misusing his authority, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The major was tried by a Field General Court Martial, which found the officer guilty of misusing his authority.
"Pakistan Army, alive to its institutional accountability system has dismissed the officer from service and sent him to jail for life," the ISPR statement added.
The military's media wing did not reveal the name of the officer or further details of the case against him.
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Earlier this year, the army chief had
ratified the punishment awarded to two senior retired army officers and one civil officer "on the charges of espionage/ leakage of sensitive information to foreign agencies prejudice to the national security".
Those convicted and sentenced at the time were retired Lt Gen Javed Iqbal, who was awarded 14-year rigorous imprisonment, retired Brig Raja Rizwan, and Dr Wasim Akram.
Raja Rizwan and Wasim Akram were awarded the death sentence.