Pakistan army chief sacks 12 officers over graft

Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif has sacked 12 army officers, including two generals, over corruption charges.

The officers include one Major General, one Lieutenant General, five Brigadiers, one Colonel, three Lieutenant Colonels and one Major, media reports said.

The move comes days after General Sharif called for uprooting corruption and for across-the-board accountability.

Geo News, quoting sources in the military, said the senior officers were sacked after a long-running internal inquiry conducted within the army for more than one year.

The officers served in the Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan.

The top names in the list include former Inspector-General Frontier Corps (IG FC) Balochistan Lieutenant General Obaidullah Khattak, and Major General Ijaz Shahid.

Geo quoted sources saying that the senior officers have been stripped of their ranks, and perks and privileges. The officers will continue to receive their pensions and medical facilities.

There has been no official announcement as yet from the military in this regard.

The unprecedented move comes days after General Sharif said the ongoing war against terrorism and extremism cannot bring enduring peace and stability until the menace of corruption is uprooted from the country.

On Tuesday, Sharif said that across-the-board accountability is necessary for the solidarity, integrity and prosperity of Pakistan.

The "ongoing war against terrorism and extremism being fought with the backing of the entire nation cannot bring enduring peace and stability unless the menace of corruption is uprooted. Therefore, across the board accountability is necessary for the solidarity, integrity and prosperity of Pakistan," the Pakistan Army chief said during a visit to the Signals Regimental Centre in Kohat.

"Pakistan Armed Forces will fully support every meaningful effort in that direction, which would ensure a better future for our next generations," he said.

--IANS

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