Military courts: opposition parties seek time

Opposition parties on Tuesday sought time to deliberate upon a government's proposal to give another 2-year extension to military courts, as they criticised the government for its inability to bring judicial reforms under the National Action Plan (NAP) with a view to stop dependence on the special courts. To take the input from the opposition political parties as part of the government's consultation, Speaker National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq chaired a meeting of the parliamentary leaders of various political parties in which the proposal of giving another 2-year extension to military courts was discussed in detail.
Briefing media after the meeting, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah said the opposition parties in the meeting questioned the government's progress on bringing judicial reforms to protect judges, prosecution and witnesses as well as the progress on the NAP. He said the opposition parties have also asked the government to explain the progress on formation of a proposed parliamentary committee on national security. On these concerns, he said that Law Minister Zahid Hamid told them that the government will explain the progress on these issues in the next meeting on January 17.
Shah said the parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties would share the discussion of the meeting with their respective leadership. "Like PPPP, it would be the central leadership of every party to decide," he said while referring to the proposal of a 2-year extension to the military courts, which he said, was placed before the meeting for discussion.
Referring to the statement given by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, he said that there were contradictory statements from the ministers with regard to military courts, adding on one hand, a minister stated that there was no need of these courts while on the other they want extension.
To another question, he said the country has its Constitution and judicial system, but the government had allowed the military courts owing to the abnormal situation. The Speaker National Assembly, in his brief chat, said that a frank discussion was held stressing on the need for legislation with consultation between the government and opposition, adding further discussion will be held on January 17.
Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the Parliament through 21st Amendment had given a conditional permission to the government to establish military courts for 2 years. He said that the government side stated that they want to give extension to military courts. However, he said that its own coalition partners, Jamiat Ulem-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), are against any such extension and the government is yet to convince them. He said that the government is using the military as a crutch.
To a question, he said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has clarified that it does not support further extension to military courts. However, he said the government would be asked to convince the opposition parties about its future line of action and the time frame in blue print within which it will bring judicial reforms.
He said that in the last two years, the government failed to make any progress in the judicial reforms as promised at the time of the passage of 21st Constitutional Amendment. Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamaat-e-Islami said the government needs to brief the parliamentarians on the progress it has made on the promises with regard to judicial reforms and the implementation on the NAP.
However, he said they would brief their leadership on the proposal of giving extension to judicial courts. The meeting was attended PPPP's Khursheed Shah and Naveed Qamar, PTI's Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Shireen Mazari, JUI-F's Akram Khan Durrani, PkMAP's Mehmood Khan Achakzai, ANP's Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Aftab Ahmad Khan of Qaumi Watan Party, MQM's Farooq Sattar, and Shahji Gul Afridi from Fata. The government side was represented by Law Minister Zahid Hamid and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab.
Earlier in the day, Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah chaired a consultative meeting of opposition parties separately regarding the revival of military courts. Shah said that the PPPP will oppose the reinstatement of military courts. The meeting was attended by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Naveed Qamar, and Sahibzada Tariqullah.