Home »Top Stories » Military courts: deadlock persists due to boycott of PPPP

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  • Feb 24th, 2017
  • Comments Off on Military courts: deadlock persists due to boycott of PPPP
The deadlock on giving another three-year extension to military courts continues as the parliamentary parties meeting on Thursday remained inconclusive due to boycott of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) over the draft of the proposed constitutional amendment. The committee met here with National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair.

The parliamentary leaders of all political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) participated and they were given a detailed briefing by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security Lieutenant General Nasir Janjua (retd). The sources privy to the development toldBusiness Recorder that some parties extended conditional support while some came forward to revive the military courts without any condition, saying they are needed for eradication of the menace of terrorism.

The MPs asked tough questions from General Janjua (retd) about the performance of the military courts and also sought details about the hardcore terrorists who need trial from military courts. A bomb blast in Lahore city that killed eight people and left dozens injured when the meeting of the committee was going on, could not even convince the lawmakers who insisted there could be no consensus unless their reservations are addressed.

Senator Farhatullah Babar said that his party had not submitted any new draft or any dissenting note as the government is yet to give the details about two years performance of the military courts. "We want to know what these military courts did in two years and on which grounds the criminals were prosecuted; were they given a chance of fair trial? So once we're satisfied with the performance [of military courts], we want an all- parties conference to discuss the issue," he added.

Dr Farooq Sattar of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan, whose party also extended conditional support for revival of military courts, said if the revival of military courts is so important, they should be extended for one-and-a-half years. "The extension should not be for three years as the new government will formulate its policies after 2018 elections. A committee comprising members of all political parties should be formed to take stock of the National Action Plan, and advise the government accordingly," he added.

However, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq told reporters after the meeting that there is a need of a permanent parliamentary committee to oversee the performance of military courts. He said that the government will talk to the senior leadership of PPPP to participate in the meeting, as there is consensus among all political parties on revival of military courts, adding the committee will hold another meeting, in which the PPPP will also participate.

The sources said that the Speaker will also contact Asif Ali Zardari on telephone to end his party's boycott of the committee as there is a need to adopt a national approach to eradicate the menace of terrorism. Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that Zardari has contacted him, adding that the PPP wants to call an APC over the issue of military courts.



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