Four Pak army majors questioned in brigadier detention case

The four officers had been questioned but had not been detained, the chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told the media.

The officers had been included in the probe against Brig Ali Khan, whose detention was confirmed by the army yesterday. Khan had links to the Hizb-ut-Tehrir and was found to be involved in illegal activities that went against military discipline, Abbas said.

Khan continues to be in custody and is being interrogated, he said. The brigadier had been serving as director for rules and regulations at the army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi at the time of his detention on May 6.

Khan, who had trained in the US and was set to retire soon, was denied promotion in the past because of his extremist leanings, the Dawn newspaper reported today.

Abbas dismissed the impression that a large number of army soldiers had links to extremists or banned groups.

He said in a large organisation like the army, the presence of few individuals like Khan could not be ruled out.

Meanwhile, in a message sent to local journalists, the Hizb-ut-Tehrir said it was not its policy "to confirm or deny such news" as the arrested brigadier's alleged links to the group.