(Rpt, correcting name in para 9)

New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) The Army has launched an ''in-house verification'' of the charge made by former Pakistani Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan that an Indian Brigadier had sold the 1965 Indian war plans to Pakistan for Rs 20,000.

According to highly placed sources in the Army Headquarters here, the Army was carrying out an in-house verification on whether there was any truth in the allegation after the Government directed an investigation in this matter.

The Army will wait for more information to come from the author if he has made the allegation, said the sources.

Earlier, on Sunday, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had told mediapersons that a probe had been ordered into the claims made by the son of former Pakistan dictator Ayub Khan.

The sources -- cautious to commit themselves in the matter -- maintained it would not be correct to reach any conclusions at present. However, it would not be difficult to search the Brigadier if Gohar Ayub Khan's claims turn out to be correct, they maintained.

The sources pointed out that at that time, there were only a handful of Brigadiers in the DGMO ''and not many of them are alive today''.

According to Gohar Ayub, the alleged ''spy'' went on to hold a senior position in the Army. And Army sources claim this makes the verification process even easier.

The Army authorities now plan to check on the identity of all officers who made trips to London as the author had apparently met the Brigadier there and handed over the money (Rs 20,000) to him.

On Sunday, Army Chief General JJ Singh had chaired a high-level meeting at the Army Headquarters along with the Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Madan Gopal and the Director General of Military Intelligence Lt Gen D S Barthwal rpt Lt Gen D S Barthwal.

Minister Mukherjee had, however, expressed serious doubts over Gohar Ayub's claims. ''It is difficult to believe that an Indian Army Brigadier would divulge national secrets for money... Moreover, no officer or a single individual -- let alone a Brigadier -- would be privy to total and comprehensive military and war plans,'' the Minister had averred.

The Minister had also pointed out that ''this so-called trade-off'' took place 30-35 years back and it was not known whether that Brigadier was today alive.

The Indian Army's official records show that between 1947 and 1965, the Directorate of Military Operations (DMO) was headed by only six Brigadier-rank officers: Brigadier (now Field Marshal) Sam Manekshaw, GG Bewoor (retired as Army chief), DC Noronha (retired as Major General), DK Palit (retired as Major General), NC Rawlley (retired as Lieutenant General) and Narender Singh (retired as Major General).

One of them, Maj Gen Narender Singh, has been on record as saying that there was a ''minor leak'' about the movement of an infantry division from the northeast of Punjab during the 1965 War with Pakistan. But he was quick to add that there was no sale of a grandiose battle plan.

The defence community here, however, termed the accusation as ''an absurd and malicious lie''.

The most vocal in their dismissals were former Army Chief Gen Shankar Roychowdhry and Bangladesh war hero Lt Gen JFR Jacob, who have described the remarks as ''scurrillous, malicious and nonsense''.

Gen Roychowdhry said: ''This is not a revelation, but an allegation and that too a baseless one... Unless this is proved, it should be dismissed by the highest order of contempt.'' Reacting to the finger-pointing at Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Lt Gen JFR Jacob said since Manekshaw could not be present to defend himself, it was his responsibility to defend the ailing army man.

''Sam Manekshaw is an honourable soldier loyal to the country...

I can't understand why Gohar Ayub has made these malicious remarks... He should withdraw them immediately,'' Lt Gen Jacob said.

UNI