The President last month terminated the services of an army major after a probe held him responsible for lapses that compromised national security, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. He was serving with a unit of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and was under investigation since March 2022.
SFC, a tri-services command, formed a board of officers to investigate the major last year, the officials said, asking not to be named. SFC, headed by an officer in the rank of commander-in-chief, manages the country’s nuclear arsenal.
The board was given the authority to seize the officer’s digital devices and carry out a probe into his involvement in suspicious activities including sharing or leaking classified information to unauthorised people, social media violations, and other security-related issues.
Officials said the major was found to have stored classified documents on his electronic devices in violation of armed forces security protocol and regulations. He was also in touch with a Pakistani intelligence operative over social media, they added.
The armed forces take security breaches by personnel seriously and are known to award exemplary punishment.