Islamabad: A Pakistani military court has
completed the court martial of 11 civilians accused of
involvement in a brazen attack on the army's General
Headquarters in Rawalpindi in 2009 and the verdict is likely
to be announced soon.
According to military laws, the accused could face the
death penalty if they are convicted, 'BBC Urdu' quoted its
sources as saying. The maximum punishment under military rules
for attacking defence installations is capital punishment.
The Field General Court Martial - headed by a
brigadier - heard the case at an undisclosed location for five
months and the proceedings were completed yesterday.
The accused were given the right to defence but their
attorneys claim that their witnesses were either reluctant to
appear in the military court or they "disappeared" before the
hearing.
In October 2009, ten heavily armed militants wearing
suicide vests carried out an attack on the General
Headquarters and held off army commandos for hours before they
were killed or captured.
The militants forced their way into the main building
of a military intelligence agency after killing soldiers
guarding the main entrance.
They took several personnel hostage before a final
assault by commandos.
Nine of the attackers were killed while one was
arrested after he was injured. He was identified as Aqeel
alias Doctor Usman. Eleven soldiers were also killed in the
attack.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, June 14, 2011, 20:55