Dubai: A top ranking Pakistani army officer has been sentenced to death while a Lt General has been handed over 14 years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of espionage and leaking sensitive information to foreign agencies.
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has endorsed the death sentence to a retired army officer and a civilian and rigorous imprisonment to one army officer on charges of "espionage/leakage of sensitive information to foreign agencies prejudice to the national security", a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations s(ISPR) on Thursday.
"The officers were tried under Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and Official Secret Act by separate Field General Court Marshal (FGCM) for separate cases," said the statement.
According to the military's media wing, the three men — Lieutenant General (retd) Javed Iqbal, Brigadier (retd) Raja Rizwan, and Dr Wasim Akram, an employee at a sensitive organisation — were convicted of espionage activities and leaking sensitive information to foreign spy agencies.
Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Iqbal was awarded 14 years rigorous imprisonment. Brigadier (retd) Raja Rizwan and Dr Wasim Akram were awarded death sentences.
The ISPR statement did not did not contain any further details of the offences committed by the three convicts. However, Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor had confirmed the arrests of the senior officers in a press conference on February 22 this year.
"There are two officers who are under military custody on the charges of espionage. The Army chief has ordered Field General Court Marshal for them. Both of these are individual case and are not linked to each other, and there is no network as such," Maj-Gen Ghafoor had said.
"Both of these are individual case and are not linked to each other, and there is no network as such," he had said.
1.Retired Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal - Awarded 14 years rigorous imprisonment.
2. Retired Brigadier Raja Rizwan - Awarded Death Sentence.
3. Doctor Wasim Akram (Employed at Sensitive Organisation) - Awarded Death Sentence.
