Shahid Bashir
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Shahid Bashir is a Pakistan Army
engineer
and pilot officer
who is currently facing court martial by the Judge Advocate General Branch
of Pakistan Army
. A commanding officer of the Shamsi Air Base
, the Colonel is accused of spying, including leaking secrets of the Shamsi Air Force base to those planning to attack it, and inciting fellow soldiers to commit acts of terrorism
. On December 10, 2009, Colonel Bashir along with his close friends, was arrested by the Pakistani military police
.
Squadron Leader
Nadeem Ahmad Shah, a retired air force
fighter pilot
and a former professional JAG lawyer
who is now a practiced civilian advocate
at the Lahore High Court
, and Awais Ali Khan, a civilian mechanical engineer served with the military's Air Weapons Complex (AWC) but resigned two years ago. According to the media reports, the three men are currently in army's custody in Kotli
, district of Pakistani Kashmir but there was no official word on allegations levelled against them.
, Rawalpindi
where he gained his B.Eng.
in Electronics and Communication Engineering with a specialization in electronic signals technology
from the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
. After his degree, he was inducted in Corps of Engineers
as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1986. In 1990, Shahid was transferred to Army Aviation Corps where he did a one-year long aviation course, was inducted into the Army Aviation Corps as a Aviation Pilot of PA-AH-1 Cobra.
In 1996, he was transferred to the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
where he started his engineering career from Air Weapons Complex. At AWC, he met with Awais Ali Khan, a U.S. educated-mechanical engineer who expertise in drs given a charge of one regiment
of the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and was posted as a commanding officer at the Shamsi Air Force Base
. The Shamsi Air Force Base
is a Pakistan Air Force's secret air base allegedly use by the Central Intelligence Agency
for Predator drone attacks on militants in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas
.
but they could not reach their destination and mysteriously disappeared. It was later discovered that the three men were arrested by the Pakistani military police
, and are currently investigated by the Military Intelligence
.
On Wednesday, May 13, 2009, Federal Minister
for Law, Justice
, and Parliamentary Affairs Dr.Babar Awan
informed Parliament that the army has detained a serving colonel along with a Rawalpindi based lawyer on the basis of espionage charges. However, during the press conference, the minister did not speak about the charges in details.
held a press conference to provide the details. The ISPR's Director-General
and Chief military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas
said he was aware that some persons were being investigated for spying but he did not have any knowledge about the court-martial. According to the M.I.
military investigators, Colonel Bashir had contacts to the terrorist group and the Army investigators have probed his alleged links to the Hizb ut-Tahrir
group.
, district of Pakistani Kashmir but there was no official word on allegations levelled against them.
BBC quoted its sources as saying that they had been accused of leaking secrets about the Pakistan Air Force base at Shamsi
in Balochistan and inciting army officers to commit acts of terrorism. The court-martial is currently conducted by the JAG court
headed by the Army
's Brigadier-General under the provisions of the Army Act. Under the military justice law of Pakistani Armed Forces, if the accused are convicted, the colonel could be given the death sentence with a dishonorable discharged while the others could receive a life-sentence in military jails.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Shahid Bashir is a Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
engineer
Engineer Officer
An Engineer Officer is one type of officer in the UK Royal Navy. There are also Warfare Officers and Logistics Officers supported by additional branches such as Medical or Dental Officers, or the Chaplaincy Service....
and pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
who is currently facing court martial by the Judge Advocate General Branch
Judge Advocate General Branch
The Judge Advocate General Branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces is composed of Pakistan's Military senior officers, lawyers and judges who provide legal services to the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines at all levels of command...
of Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
. A commanding officer of the Shamsi Air Base
Shamsi airfield
PAF Base Shamsi, also called Bandari is a Pakistan Air Force airbase located near Washki in the Balochistan province of Pakistan....
, the Colonel is accused of spying, including leaking secrets of the Shamsi Air Force base to those planning to attack it, and inciting fellow soldiers to commit acts of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. On December 10, 2009, Colonel Bashir along with his close friends, was arrested by the Pakistani military police
Pakistan Rangers
The Pakistan Rangers are part of the Paramilitary forces of Pakistan, and consists of members of the Pakistan Army under the direct control of the Ministry of the Interior of the Pakistan Government. The Rangers are an internal security force with the prime objective to provide and maintain...
.
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Nadeem Ahmad Shah, a retired air force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
and a former professional JAG lawyer
Judge Advocate General Branch
The Judge Advocate General Branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces is composed of Pakistan's Military senior officers, lawyers and judges who provide legal services to the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines at all levels of command...
who is now a practiced civilian advocate
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
at the Lahore High Court
Lahore High Court
The Lahore High Court is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on March 21, 1919. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over Punjab...
, and Awais Ali Khan, a civilian mechanical engineer served with the military's Air Weapons Complex (AWC) but resigned two years ago. According to the media reports, the three men are currently in army's custody in Kotli
Kotli
Kotli is the chief town of Kotli District, in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is linked with Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via Rajdhani, and the other via Charhoi...
, district of Pakistani Kashmir but there was no official word on allegations levelled against them.
Military career
Bashir was commissioned in the army in 1984 and is a graduate of Military College of SignalsMilitary College of Signals
Military College of Signals is a military school located at Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan, it is an affiliate of the National University of Sciences and Technology.-Courses offered:...
, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
where he gained his B.Eng.
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
in Electronics and Communication Engineering with a specialization in electronic signals technology
Signal (electrical engineering)
In the fields of communications, signal processing, and in electrical engineering more generally, a signal is any time-varying or spatial-varying quantity....
from the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
The College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering or is the largest constituent college of the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan.- Location :...
. After his degree, he was inducted in Corps of Engineers
Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
The Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, , is an active military administrative staff corps, and a major science and technology command of the Pakistan Army...
as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1986. In 1990, Shahid was transferred to Army Aviation Corps where he did a one-year long aviation course, was inducted into the Army Aviation Corps as a Aviation Pilot of PA-AH-1 Cobra.
In 1996, he was transferred to the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
The College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering or is the largest constituent college of the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan.- Location :...
where he started his engineering career from Air Weapons Complex. At AWC, he met with Awais Ali Khan, a U.S. educated-mechanical engineer who expertise in drs given a charge of one regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and was posted as a commanding officer at the Shamsi Air Force Base
Shamsi airfield
PAF Base Shamsi, also called Bandari is a Pakistan Air Force airbase located near Washki in the Balochistan province of Pakistan....
. The Shamsi Air Force Base
Shamsi airfield
PAF Base Shamsi, also called Bandari is a Pakistan Air Force airbase located near Washki in the Balochistan province of Pakistan....
is a Pakistan Air Force's secret air base allegedly use by the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
for Predator drone attacks on militants in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
.
Arrest
May 4, 2009, Colonel Bashir and his close friends Sq.Ldr. Nadeem Ahmad Shah and Awais Ali Khan left their houses to have a dinner to a nearby restaurantRestaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
but they could not reach their destination and mysteriously disappeared. It was later discovered that the three men were arrested by the Pakistani military police
Pakistan Rangers
The Pakistan Rangers are part of the Paramilitary forces of Pakistan, and consists of members of the Pakistan Army under the direct control of the Ministry of the Interior of the Pakistan Government. The Rangers are an internal security force with the prime objective to provide and maintain...
, and are currently investigated by the Military Intelligence
Military Intelligence of Pakistan
In Pakistan Defence Forces, the Directorate-General for the Military Intelligence , is a Pakistan Defence Forces intelligence agency and that is responsible for the military counter-intelligence. It also refers specifically to the intelligence components of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Unlike the...
.
On Wednesday, May 13, 2009, Federal Minister
Cabinet of Pakistan
The Cabinet of Pakistan is headed by Prime Minister and plays an important role in the Government of Pakistan, in accordance with the Westminster System....
for Law, Justice
Ministry of Justice (Pakistan)
The Ministry of Justice , also known as Justice Ministry is a Government of Pakistan's federal and executive Ministry responsible and tasked with the enforcement of law and administration of justice. The Government department is led by the Minister for Justice who is a political and executive figure...
, and Parliamentary Affairs Dr.Babar Awan
Babar Awan
Zaheer-ud-din Babar Awan is the former Federal Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of Pakistan. He is also a senator in Pakistan's upper House of the Parliament, and a practicing lawyer and member of the Pakistan Peoples Party Central Executive Committee...
informed Parliament that the army has detained a serving colonel along with a Rawalpindi based lawyer on the basis of espionage charges. However, during the press conference, the minister did not speak about the charges in details.
Investigation
On December 2009, the Pakistan Armed Forces military information office, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR)Inter Services Public Relations
Inter Services Public Relations is an administrative military organization within the Pakistan Defence Forces that coordinates military information with the media and the civil society...
held a press conference to provide the details. The ISPR's Director-General
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
and Chief military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas
Athar Abbas
Major General Athar Abbas is a two-star general and the current military spokesperson for the Pakistan Defence Forces who replaced Major General Waheed Arshad as the new Director General of Inter Services Public Relations on January 14, 2008....
said he was aware that some persons were being investigated for spying but he did not have any knowledge about the court-martial. According to the M.I.
Military Intelligence of Pakistan
In Pakistan Defence Forces, the Directorate-General for the Military Intelligence , is a Pakistan Defence Forces intelligence agency and that is responsible for the military counter-intelligence. It also refers specifically to the intelligence components of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Unlike the...
military investigators, Colonel Bashir had contacts to the terrorist group and the Army investigators have probed his alleged links to the Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
group.
Court-Martial
According to details of the charges provided to the families of the three men, Colonel Shahid Bashir and his close friends has been charged with leaking secrets of Shamsi airbase to persons who were planning to attack the facility. According to the sources, the three men are currently in army's custody in KotliKotli
Kotli is the chief town of Kotli District, in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is linked with Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via Rajdhani, and the other via Charhoi...
, district of Pakistani Kashmir but there was no official word on allegations levelled against them.
BBC quoted its sources as saying that they had been accused of leaking secrets about the Pakistan Air Force base at Shamsi
Shamsi
Shamsi is a village in the Chuy Province of Kyrgyzstan....
in Balochistan and inciting army officers to commit acts of terrorism. The court-martial is currently conducted by the JAG court
Judge Advocate General Branch
The Judge Advocate General Branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces is composed of Pakistan's Military senior officers, lawyers and judges who provide legal services to the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines at all levels of command...
headed by the Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
's Brigadier-General under the provisions of the Army Act. Under the military justice law of Pakistani Armed Forces, if the accused are convicted, the colonel could be given the death sentence with a dishonorable discharged while the others could receive a life-sentence in military jails.
Links
- http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/06-army-colonel-lawyer-detained-on-espionage-charges-05-rs
- http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/colonel,-lawyer-held-on-charge-of-espionage,-na-told-459
- http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Islamabad/04-May-2009/Lawyer-army-colonel-abducted
- http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_pak-colonel-among-three-to-face-court-martial-for-spying_1322283
- http://www.zeenews.com/news586275.html