Islamabad (ANTARA News/Reuters) - A Pakistan military court sentenced five army officers to prison on Friday for having ties with a radical Islamist group, the military said in a statement.

Brigadier Ali Khan, the highest-ranking officer in the group, was sentenced to five years in jail.

Khan was arrested last year for suspected links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a radical political group that wants to establish an Islamic caliphate across the Muslim world.

The military did not provide details of when the other four, all army majors, were arrested.

Active in Britain, the group is banned in many Muslim countries, including Pakistan, for its calls to overthrow governments.

The group says it does not advocate violence, but critics say it has ties to militant organisations and encourages young men to radicalism.

The five officers have the right to appeal, the military said in its statement, without providing details of the case.

Pakistan military officials were not immediately available for comment. (M014)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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