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ISPR says disposal through military courts has yielded positive effects towards reduction of terrorism: Mandated period expired

M. M. ALAM

ISLAMABAD (JAN 8, 2017): When seven perpetrators attacked APS on December 16,  2014, killing 141 students and their teachers, an amendment was made in the Constitution facilitating formation of Military Courts. And after the expiry of  mandated period those stopped functioning.

Commenting on the Military Courts ISPR held that those had yielded positive effects towards diminution of terrorism.  

ISPR has maintained that routine judicial system was not capable of handling terrorism cases, particularly when the judges themselves were under threat.

It is pertinent to mention here that Military Courts were legalized for two years. During that period 181 were awarded death penalty. Twelve were hanged while 131 were incarcerated.

RELEVANT PIECE PUBLISHED EARLIER

Govt has no plan to extend term of military courts, says Nisar




ISLAMABAD (JAN 07, 2017): Government has no plans to extend the term of military courts, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, just hours before it expired.

“Terrorism cases will be referred to anti-terrorism courts. We have no plan to give military courts any extension,” Nisar said.

However, no official statement in this respect was released by the ministry.

Military courts were set up on January 7, 2015 – almost three weeks after barbaric attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar – to try hardcore terrorists for an initial two-year term.

According to a report, the courts sentenced 161 militants to death and handed another 116 jail terms during their two-year tenure. Twelve convicts were subsequently executed. A total of 275 cases were referred to the courts.

“Well-known cases in which sentences were handed down included the APS massacre, Safoora bus attack, killing of Sabeen Mehmood, attack on journalist Raza Rumi, Bannu jailbreak, Rawalpindi Parade Lane mosque bombing, killing of foreign tourists at Nanga Parbat base camp, attack on a bus carrying Shia pilgrims in Mastung, shooting down of an army helicopter in Orakzai Agency, attack on a PIA aircraft in Peshawar, Marriott Hotel bombing, Karachi airport attack, sectarian murders and attacks on law enforcement agencies’ personnel and offices, polio vaccination teams and educational institutions,” said the report.

M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.