News Desk |
The Pakistan Army dismissed a Major-rank officer from service for misusing his authority, said a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The life 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.
Further details of the case have not yet been released.
Pakistan Army in service Major sentenced to life imprisonment by Army Chief https://t.co/exm5EaI8Ro pic.twitter.com/w57EbT77Rh
— Times of lsIamabad (@TimesofIslambad) August 20, 2019
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.
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.
Read more: Army serves capital punishment to senior officers for espionage
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, the 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.
This is a developing story. Revisit for updates.