The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking formation of a full court to hear petitions related to trial of alleged civilian accused of May 9 incidents by military courts.
The verdict on the formation of full court was reserved by the apex court a day earlier.
The verdict on formation of full court was announced by a six-member bench presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprised of Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Ayesha Malik.
During today’s hearing, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan assured the court that the 102 suspects in military custody were allowed to meet their families and were not mistreated.
He emphasized that none of the suspects would face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The court raised questions regarding the scope and legality of military courts, particularly in relation to civilians’ fundamental rights.
The Attorney General clarified that military courts were an exception to Article 175 of the Constitution and had a separate scope.
The court also discussed the possibility of granting the right to appeal to civilians tried under military laws, which would potentially convert military courts into “common courts” with the right to appeal.
The Attorney General mentioned that certain amendments had been made to the Army Act recently, but further examination was required on matters related to overseas citizens and civilians involved in attacking military installations.
The hearing has been adjourned until tomorrow (Thursday) to continue the arguments.
