The Field General Court Martial (FGCM) has convicted three retired military officers as well as a civilian on charges of espionage, handing them different jail terms, according to sources privy to the process. The four were tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act 1923 by separate FGCM on charges of espionage prejudice to national security, the sources said. The sources said Khattak, who claims to be a social activist, was tried by the FGCM in Jhelum, while the retired military officers stood trial in Rawalpindi. 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.

Source: The Express Tribune December 05, 2021 04:15 UTC