ISLAMABAD: Brigadier Ali Khan, arrested only two months before retirement due on July 9, had raised searching questions in a meeting of top generals of the Pakistan Army about the Abbottabad raid and his concerns could be the cause of his arrest, Colonel (retd) Inamullah, his legal counsel, said on Wednesday.
Such an action is intended to restrain those who want to record statements before the judicial commission being set up on the Abbotabad incident, he said.
The arrested brigadier also has a history of being vocal in expressing his concerns. He had confronted Pervez Musharraf on supporting the US-led war against terrorism. This blocked his promotion to the rank of major general.
With three generations in Army service, the brigadier’s father, a retired junior commissioned officer, had served in the Baloch Regiment, from where the current Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani also started his career.
Likewise, several serving lieutenant generals were course mates of the detained brigadier, a recipient of gold medal in the Military Academy. His picture being shown in the media is not the latest as he had grown beard a year ago.
Discussions with his family members and the legal counsel suggest they have questions whether his alleged link with the banned organisation or the questions he raised were the cause of his arrest.
Brigadier Ali’s outburst against the top brass had a resonance in the corps commander meeting held after the Abbottabad incident.
In a meeting held at the GHQ, his lawyer Colonel (retd) Inamullah said, the detained brigadier raised questions about the intelligence failure on May 2. “Brig. Ali asked if Osama bin Laden was there and our force remained unaware, then those who failed to track him must be held accountable. Likewise, if Osama was not there and nevertheless the operation was held, even then the responsibility will have to be fixed,” he said, according to Col. (retd) Inam.
Brig. Ali, according to his legal counsel, also questioned in the same meeting the luxurious lifestyle of the armed forces top brass and suggested radical changes in their lifestyle if the fate of the country was to be changed.
He had earned the ire of Pervaiz Musharraf who as the COAS-President went to address the National Defence University (NDU) where Brig. Ali was an instructor. During the Q&A session, he had asked Musharraf to explain the parameters for supporting the US-led war against terrorism.
Instead of receiving an answer, his promotion was blocked, said Col. (retd) Inam. The legal counsel said Brig. Ali is a religious person but simultaneously a patriotic citizen. “He grew beard a year ago.”
As his wife was contacted to know whether her detained husband ever shared the contents of his above-mentioned discussion, she said she was not aware of it but said the questions were legitimate.
“Do you find any fault with such questions? He was very upset over what happened in Abbottabad. The whole nation is worried.” She said difference of opinion doesn’t mean a revolt and that the right to disagree must be respected.
About his alleged links with the banned organisation, she said: “If you visit somebody’s home or be visited, a link is automatically established.” But she also explained that she never heard about the Hizb-ut-Tahrir before and got to know about it only after hearing the allegations against her husband.
“Hizb-ut-Tahrir is an organisation of intellectual people, I guess.” Brig. Ali’s wife further said that her husband never talked about this organisation with her.
As for Brig. Ali’s religious beliefs, his wife said he is a staunch and practising Muslim. “He is a man with an ideology.” Asked to explain his ideology, the wife said he believes in the ideology that caused the creation of Pakistan. “Pakistan was made in the name of Islam and the Islamic laws should be enforced. This is the ideology of Pakistan.”
While the legal counsel waited the whole day on Wednesday to hear about filing a petition in a court, the family has decided not to go the legal route. “We have decided not to go to court. We’re in contact with all concerned people except him (Brig. Ali),” said the detained officer’s wife.
According to Col. (retd) Inam, Brig. Ali has been kept in the custody of the Army’s Special Investigative Group (SIG) that deals with corruption-related inquiries.





‘Brig Ali had raised questions about Abbottabad raid’