Three retired military officers and a civilian have been convicted of espionage and handed different jail terms by the Field General Court Martial, according to a media report.
The four – three former military officials and a civilian – were tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act 1923 by separate Field General Court Martial (FGCM) on the charges of espionage prejudice to the national security, the report said.
The convicts include Lt Col (retd) Faiz Rasool, who was awarded 14-year rigorous imprisonment; Lt Col (retd) Akmal, who was sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment; Major (retd) Saifullah Babar, who was handed 12-year rigorous imprisonment; and Idris Khattak, who was sentenced to 14-year rigorous imprisonment.
The report said Idris Khattak, who claims to be a social activist, was tried by the FGCM in Jhelum, while the retired military officers stood trial in Rawalpindi. The main charge Khattak faced was that he provided ground intelligence for US drone strikes in Pakistan.
According to BBC, Owais Khattak, brother of Idris Khattak, said they received a phone call from Jhelum on Friday in which he was informed that his brother has been shifted to the district jail in Jhelum.
Asked if a civilian could stand trial in a military court, the sources said a civilian could be tried in the FGCM under “specific circumstances”.
Earlier in February, a two-judge bench of the Peshawar High Court – headed by Chief Justice Qaiser Rasheed – had dismissed a plea against Khattak’s trial in a military court. The petition was filed by Khattak’s brother.
