[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]The Supreme Court of Pakistan has set up two benches to address petitions regarding the trial of civilians in military courts and the timeliness of general elections. One bench, led by Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and including Justices Munib Akhtar, Ayesha Malik, Yahya Afridi, and Mazahar Naqvi, will handle the military court case petition. Another bench, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) along with Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, will handle petitions concerning the timely conduct of elections.
In early August, former top judge Justice Umar Ata Bandial presided over the military courts case, during which the government assured that civilians would not be tried without prior notification to the court. However, the bench underwent two reconstitutions as judges recused themselves from the case.
Read more : Lawyers reject civilian military trials.
The petition filed in the Supreme Court argues that civilians should not be tried in military courts because it does not guarantee a fair trial. The issue arose when members of the PTI were accused of involvement in the May 9 riots and were transferred to military courts for their alleged attacks on state institutions.
During the previous government led by the PDM alliance, efforts were made to hold those accountable for attacking military installations. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, former Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, legal expert Aitzaz Ahsan, and five civil society members urged the Supreme Court to declare military court trials as unconstitutional.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
