ISLAMABAD – A larger bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan heard the plea challenging government’s move to start civilians’ trial in military courts.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial led bench comprises Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Justice Ayesha Malik.
The country’s top court maintained that trials of civilians in military courts should not begin without the court’s permission and adjourned proceedings for an indefinite period.
CJP Bandial also maintained that court will intervene if martial law-like situation surfaces in Pakistan. He said this is not the era of Zia ul Haq, ruling out any chance of a military takeover. He maintained that evidence should be gathered before the commencement of trials.
He also turned down Justice (r) Jawad S Khawaja’s plea to issue a stay order against military court trials.
During the proceedings, Attorney General urged the court to submit a detailed response in court regarding the right of appeal.
Earlier, the attorney general started arguments and maintained that events like May 9 never took place in the country and could not be allowed to take place again. He mentioned that 102 people were in listed for trials in army courts, to which Justice Mazahar Naqvi asked him how they had been transferred to military courts.
AGP also mentioned that the maximum sentence in a military court was imprisonment of 14 years or the death penalty.
