The Pakistani army has started court martial proceedings against five officers over suspected ties to a banned extremist group that has called for ousting the US-backed government, security officials said Saturday. Brig. Ali Khan and four other officers were detained in May, 2011 for suspected links to the Hizb-ut-Tahrir group. Khan was working at the army's headquarters near the capital Islamabad at the time of his arrest. Khan's family has denied the allegations against him. Two senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the military trial started recently but did not provide any other details. It was also not clear yet where the trial is taking place and what punishment the officers face, if convicted. Hizb-ut-Tahrir is banned in Pakistan because of its extremist propaganda. The group also works to re-establish the Islamic caliphate, the administrative structure that once governed much of the Muslim world, and campaigns in Pakistan against the country's alliance wit the Unites States in the war on terror.
