ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) sought details of the reserved decisions related to the trials of civilians by military courts who were allegedly involved in the May 9 violent incidents.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Attorney General for Pakistan to present a summary of the cases on the next date of hearing, which is scheduled for March 28.
A six-member bench led by Justice Aminuddin Khan and composed of Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Azhar Hasan Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, Musarrat Hilali, and Irfan Saadat Khan heard a series of intra-court appeals (ICAs) against its unanimous decision of October 23 declaring the military trials of civilians invalid.
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On Oct 23, a five-member bench comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Ayesha Malik had unanimously declared the trial of civilians in military courts ultra vires the Constitution. The court had declared that civilians could not be tried in military courts but in criminal courts of competent jurisdiction established under the ordinary or special law of the land.
The prosecution of 103 civilians for their alleged involvement in attacks on army sites during the May 9 riots that ensued after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9 of last year is the subject of this case.
However, on December 13, the Supreme Court stayed its decision “conditionally” as ICAs awaited a final ruling, voting 5-1 in favor of the suspension. One of the petitioners, former chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, had asked the court on March 19 for an early hearing of the appeals, arguing that keeping civilians in military detention was “beyond compensation.”
Later in the hearing, the court sought details from the attorney general about how many of the 103 detainees were acquitted. In response, the AGP told the court that the trial had been completed but the final verdict had been stopped on the order of this court.
Later, the court issued notices to the parties and adjourned the hearing till March 28.