That armed conflicts when linger on for long periods generate antithetical dissidence among the fighting forces is a historical fact. After the initial days of marching to the battle tunes all great armies developed what is called the 'fighting fatigue' which, in turn, bred discontent and some sharp disagreements among the soldiers over the justification to keep fighting.
Such a development invariably triggers desertions, and in some cases even mutinies. That the detention of Brigadier Ali Khan since early last month, which came to light the other day, be seen in the above-mentioned backdrop would be a serious mistake. Of course, our armed forces are presently beset with an image problem; there is a vast number of Pakistanis that do not agree with its operations which they say are being conducted at the behest of the United States - a disagreement that of late has acquired much force in the wake of America's one-sidedness as evident from its unstoppable drone attacks and the clandestine raid of Osama compound.
However, in view of what has come to light so far, Brigadier Khan is being investigated for his perceived violation of the code of strict discipline that regulates the armed forces. Pakistan armed forces are known over the world for their discipline, as its men and officers are expected to be absolutely apolitical - a requirement forcefully reiterated by Army Chief General Kayani. So even if the Hizb ut-Tahrir, the entity Brigadier Ali Khan is alleged to be in contact with, is a political party and is opposed to violence in the name of religion, he was supposed to have stayed clear off its members.
For now, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has ruled out the brigadier having any links with al Qaeda or Taliban. The said officer is believed to have run afoul of the army's strict code of discipline by getting into contact with the Hizb ut-Tahrir people which the ISPR chief, Major-General Athar Abbas, says is unacceptable given the "zero tolerance in the garrisons for religious and extremist organisations." But he is also not unmindful of the fact that 'ranks could not remain unaffected by what's happening in society'.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is essentially a political party, established by a Palestinian Muslim some 70 years ago in the city of Jerusalem - it is in fact much older than al Qaeda and the outfits of that genre. According to British researcher Simon Valentine, the Hizb ut-Tahrir does not advocate violence, but it works "to infiltrate the armed forces and once gaining support, causes a military coup". It is believed to be based in the United Kingdom and have presence in some of the Muslim countries including, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia.
In the aftermath of an attempt on the life of General Pervez Musharraf in the early 1990s it was outlawed, but a court overturned the ban, vindicating a prevalent impression that the party is basically an ideological movement and not an armed group of militants. That it aims at creating a puritanical Islamic state on the pattern of Caliphates, it's not much different from what quite a few other parties in the Muslim world are committed to. Apparently, it's not the Brigadier Ali Khan's religious inclination that is being looked into; it's his suspected links with a political entity that militate against the code of discipline strictly observed by the armed forces of Pakistan.