Shahid Bashir is a Pakistan Armyengineer and aviator who is facing court martial by the Judge Advocate General Branch of Pakistan Army. Bashir is accused of spying, including leaking secrets of the Shamsi Air base to those planning to attack it, and inciting fellow soldiers to commit acts of terrorism against US army occupying these basis. On December 10, 2009, Colonel Bashir along with his close friends, was arrested by the Pakistani military police. Advocate ex PAF cadet Nadeem Ahmad Shah, a retired air forcefighter 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 but resigned two years ago. According to the media reports, the three men are in army's custody in Kotli, district of Azad Kashmir but there was no official word on allegations levelled against them. 22-Jun-2011 RAWALPINDI: A former senior army officer charged with links to banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir has moved the Lahore High Court against a decision of the Field General Court Martial. The convicted lieutenant colonel Shahid Bashir – presently serving his sentence in solitary confinement in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail – says he has been victimised for raising voice against corruption in his department. The petitioner challenged the verdict of FGCM that handed down three-year rigorous imprisonment coupled with dismissal from service. He asked the high court on Tuesday to set aside the military court’s decision and direct the provincial authorities to end his solitary confinement.
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 restaurant 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 investigated by the Military Intelligence. On Wednesday, May 13, 2009, Federal Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Babar Awan informed Parliamentthat 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 held a press conference to provide the details. The ISPR's Director-General and Chief military spokesman Major-GeneralAthar 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.
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 in army's custody in Kotli, district of Azad 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 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.
