Pakistan: Top court to 'quickly wrap up' pleas against trial of civilians in military courts

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 23 : The Supreme Court of Pakistan will "quickly" conclude the pleas against the prosecution of civilians in military courts, according to Pakistan's Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, who declined to order a suspension of the proceedings on Thursday, Geo News reported.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, who presided over a seven-member panel that included the judges Ijazul Ahsan, Mansoor Ali Shah, Muneeb Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Ayesha Malik, and Mazahir Ali Naqvi, said, "It is not right to issue stay orders on everything."

Earlier, a nine-member bench was formed to hear the pleas, but Justices Qazi Faez Isa and Tariq Masood objected to the court's assembly.

According to Geo News, on April 13, an eight-member larger SC bench ruled that the Practise and Procedure Act would not be implemented in any way until further order, even if it obtained the president's assent.

Legal expert Aitzaz Ahsan, former chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), Karamat Ali, have all individually filed petitions opposing the use of military tribunals for trials.

After individuals purportedly affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) resorted to attacking military posts on May 9 in response to the detention of their party president, the government made the decision to trial civilians in military courts, according to Geo News.

A Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court issues a non-bailable arrest warrant for Imran Khan and several other former and current party leaders in cases related to May 9 riots, reported Dawn.

During the riots, at least eight people were killed and over 290 injured after the National Accountability Bureau arrested the PTI chief in the Al-Qadir Trust case.