Ali Khan is a former brigadier of

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

who was arrested in May 2011 for links with banned Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir. According to CNN he was the senior most Pakistani officer to face such allegations since 1995. His arrest raised suspicions of infiltration by Islamic fundamentalists into the senior officer corps of Pakistani Army.

Background

HuT has been banned in Pakistan since 2004. HuT has long been accused of trying to infiltrate Pakistan's military and in the aftermath of the American raid that killed Osama bin-Laden it distributed pamphlets near Pakistani military bases calling on officers to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic caliphate. Two other Pakistani army officers were

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed in 2010 for links with Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Career

Khan belonged to Punjab had joined the army in 1979 and had a distinguished career. At the time of his arrest Khan had been in the army for 32 years during which time he had served with United Nations Protection Force in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, did a company commander's course in Japan and an alumnus of US Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth and was about to retire. Khan was also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed forces, one of the senior service colleges that is part of the National Defense University. Khan's father was a Junior Commissioned Officer, his brother is a colonel, His both sons and son-in-law are

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

s in Pakistan army. Khan had been a vocal critic of the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden and had raised questions at a meeting of Pakistani generals. He had previously criticised General Pervez Musharraf for his support to America and his promotion to major general was blocked. At the time of arrest he was the oldest brigadier in Pakistani army having been rejected for promotion repeatedly. After the arrest Khans wife stated that he was a man with an ideology and a staunch Muslim who believed "Pakistan was made in the name of Islam and the

Islamic laws Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

should be enforced. This is the ideology of Pakistan." He had grown his beard about a year prior to his arrest.

Arrest

Khan was serving at the general headquarters of Pakistani army in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

at the time of his arrest on 6 May 2011. The arrest was announced on 21 June 2011. Pakistan Army spokesperson Major general

Athar Abbas Major General Athar Abbas is a former Director General of the ISPR and former Ambassador of Pakistan to Ukraine from 2015 to 2018. He retired from active military service after 35 years in June 2012. Military career General Abbas was commiss ...

claimed that there was compelling evidence against Khan. According to BBC General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had personally ordered his arrest after examining evidence against Khan. However, on 28 June 2011 it was reported that Brigadier Khan was to be released soon as not enough evidence had been found to formally charge him. From his prison cell, Khan released a six-page

manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

calling for Pakistan to sever its anti-terrorism alliance with the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Ali Pakistan Army officers Living people Pakistani Islamists Year of birth missing (living people) K Pakistani prisoners and detainees