As they say, what goes around, comes around.
Pak army looks like its paying the price for years of training jihadi groups.
http://www.satribune.com/archives/dec04/P1_butt2.htm
30 More Pakistani Soldiers to Get Death Penalty for Indiscipline
By M T Butt
ISLAMABAD, December 27: As many as 30 Pakistan Army and Air Force personnel are facing the death penalty in several Court Martial proceedings going on in Military Courts in the Kharian Army Cantonment, about 60 miles from Islamabad, highly competent military sources have revealed to South Asia Tribune.
In a remarkable release of confidential information, these sources also gave the details of the Charge Sheet against the only Army soldier sentenced to death by the same military court on October 20, 2004.
Surprisingly the Charge Sheet does not accuse Sepoy Muhammad Islam Siddiqi, Army No 8831068 of any direct participation or involvement in the attack on General Pervez Musharraf in December 2003 near Chaklala Bridge in Rawalpindi, contrary to what was claimed in the official announcement on December 24.
Director General of Pakistan Army’s Inter Services Public Relations, Major General Shaukat Sultan had confirmed on Dec 24 that one Pakistani soldier had been sentenced to death. Confirming the story first broken by Karachi journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad in Asia Times Online on December 21 about the death sentence, Maj. General Sultan had also announced that another soldier had been awarded a 10-year jail sentence. Click to see original Asia Times Story
But military sources are now saying the official version given by ISPR Director General was badly distorted and in fact more than 30 Army and Air Force personnel are have been charged with the same crime and will soon get the same sentence. Announcements about these death sentences will be staggered to minimize the impact.
The ISPR claimed that the death sentence had been given for involvement in the assassination attempt on General Musharraf but actually Sepoy Muhammad Islam Siddiqi had refused to serve in South Waziristan and was at best guilty of violating military discipline along with dozens of others.
The Army prosecutors who did not want to publicly admit that largescale defiance had taken place in South Waziristan where the Army had been deployed against the tribesmen, merged the indiscipline charges against these troops with the assassination attempts on General Musharraf and sought death sentences for the accused.
According to these sources the South Waziristan operation had turned out to be biggest dent in Army discipline when several units declined to be posted in South Waziristan and dozens of troops refused to continue the fight against tribes. The Army top brass was shaken and most of these troops were recalled from the front line.
Convicted Sepoy Islam Siddiqi was among them who was arrested in South Waziristan on defiance and abetting defiance among soldiers and sent to Kharian Cantonment where, after a brief interrogation, he was tried and convicted on October 20, 2004.
Following charges under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) were read out by a Brigadier who headed the military court:
First Charge
PAA Section 59: Committing a civil offence, that is to say receiving training in terrorism, In that he, at Bhimber (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) during August 2002, received training in the acts of terrorism, at the “Maasker” a training camp of ‘Jaish-e- Mohammed’ a proscribed organization and thereby committed an offense punishable under sub-section (7) (C) of the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997.
Second Charge
PAA Sec 55 (alternative to first charge): Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, in that he at Bhimber (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) during August 2002, improperly attended at a ‘Maasker’, the training camp of a sectarian organization.
Third Charge
PAA Section 31(d): Attempting to seduce a person in the military forces of Pakistan from his allegiance to the Government of Pakistan, in that he at Peshawar, during Feb 2003 attempted to seduce 8839274 Sepoy Hafiz Muhammad Ashfaq of 2 Defence Services Guard Battalion, from his allegiance to the Government of Pakistan.
Fourth Charge
PAA Section 31(d): Attempting to seduce a person in the military forces of Pakistan from his allegiance to the Government of Pakistan, in that he, at Peshawar during Feb 2003 to January 2004 attempted to seduce 889174 sepoy Hafiz Salah Uddin of 1 Defence Services Guard Company, from his allegiance to the Government of Pakistan.
Fifth Charge
PAA Section 59: Committing a civil offence that is to say, professing to belong to a proscribed organization, in that he, at Peshawar, Murid and elsewhere, during January 2002 to January 2004 professed to belong to ‘Jaish-e-Mohammad’ a proscribed organization: and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 11-F (2) of the Anti Terrorism Act 1997.
Sixth Charge
PAA Section 59: Committing a civil offence that is to say being a citizen of Pakistan, departing from Pakistan without passport, in that he, at Pak-Afghan border, during June 1999, being a citizen of Pakistan, departed from Pakistan without a passport to Afghanistan in contravention of Section 3(a) of the Passport Act, 1974 and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 4(1) of the Passport Act, 1974.
Seventh Charge
PAA Section 55: Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline at Murid, Peshawar and elsewhere during July 2002 to January 2004, improperly remained associated with a Tanzeem (organization) of Pakistan Air Force personnel, which was advancing the object of eliminating General Pervez Musharraf, the President of
Pakistan.
Eighth Charge
PAA Section 55 (alternative to seventh charge): Neglect to the prejudice of good order and military discipline in that he, at Murid, Warsak and elsewhere, during July 2002 to January 2004, having known that some personnel belonging to a Tanzeem of Pakistan Air Force had designs to eliminate General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan neglected to report the same to his superiors.
Ninth Charge
PAA Section 55: Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, in that he, at Peshawar during September-October 2003, improperly received 6 x capsules containing poison from No 3060314 Havaldar Mohammed Younis of 98 Air Defence Regiment with ulterior motives.
Military sources and legal experts contacted by the South Asia Tribune said if these charges were made the basis of the death sentence give to Sepoy Islam Siddiqi, then hundreds or even thousands of Pakistan Army troops could be found guilty and convicted.
These experts said the closest Sepoy Siddiqi came to the assassination attempt on General Musharraf was to get “associated with an organization of Pakistan Air Force personnel, which was advancing the object of eliminating General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan.” This in no way proves, or even accuses, Siddiqi of having a hand in the unsuccessful attempt on Musharraf.
They said if Siddiqi could be sentenced to death for being associated with the organization which had “designs of eliminating General Musharraf” then the entire organization would have to be found equally guilty and put to death.
Likewise if traveling to Afghanistan without a passport was made the basis of death sentence, the entire tribal population and three-fourth of residents of NWFP could be found guilty of the same crime as no one in the Tribal Areas needs a passport to cross into Afghanistan.
Similarly defying military orders to fight in South Waziristan against fellow tribal citizens could land hundreds of Pakistan Army troops into the same category deserving death penalties.
**On a political level the charges against arrested soldiers also confirm that many members of the Pakistan armed forces have been actively training with military Islamic organizations like Jaish Mohammed in Azad Kashmir and other locations within Pakistan.
“This is an implicit admission by the Army that such camps existed and elements of the Army were directly involved in one capacity or another. This could substantiate charges leveled by the Indians of Army’s active support and involvement in the insurgency in Kashmir,” a legal expert said.**