Army chief confirms life sentence to in-service major: ISPR

RAWALPINDI (92 News) – Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday has confirmed life sentence to in-service army major. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief dismissed a major rank officer was from service for misusing his authority. The sentence, passed after the officer was tried by a Field General Court Martial, was confirmed by COAS. The ISPR further said that Pakistan Army has strong and powerful accountability process. Earlier, a three-star retired general has 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” has also been handed down capital punishment on similar charges. 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 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.