Military courts: bill introduced

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government on Friday introduced 'The Constitution (Twenty-eight Amendment) Bill, 2017' and 'The Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2016' in the National Assembly for revival of military courts for two more years. However, the opposition parties Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and the government's frontline ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) opposed the bills.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid moved the bills separately in the House for introduction. The bills will not be referred to the concerned standing committees as the House adopted the motions moved by Zahid Hamid. Now the House would discuss the bills and it may approve them with some amendments. Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho of PPPP said, "We have strong reservations over the bills because the law could be misused as a tool for political persecution. Military courts are not ensuring the rights of a person. We do not agree to revive the military courts for two years. We agree to extend the courts for only one year."
Pechuho said, "The National Action Plan was not fully implemented during the last two years. We also need to change the mindset and ensure equal distribution of resources of the country. We appose the bills." JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said his party cannot support these bills in their present form. He said that terrorism should not be linked to religion as terrorists have no religion, tribes or nationality.
"Terrorists have no religion and area; and it is an issue of the whole nation. If anyone challenges the writ of the state and carries weapons against it, the state has the right to take action to eliminate that person." "We stand with democracy, laws and Constitution of Pakistan. It had been decided when military courts were established for two years that during this period, the government would strengthen the civil judicial system. But the government did not implement the decision, he added.
"There is a need to clear whether we will get the services of military or give it powers for interference. There is also a need to know who trained the armed organisations," he said. The Maulana said that discriminatory law on the basis of ethnicity or nationality should not be made, otherwise, the law will shake the public confidence. Sheikh Salahuddin of MQM said that the Prime Minister should chair a parliamentary committee on military court already constituted by the Speaker to discuss the bills.
He said the government did not implement the National Action Plan in its letter and spirit. He said that military courts should be revived for one-and-a-half-years during the tenure of present government. He said there is a need to strengthen the civil institutions. Speaking on the bills, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid said giving powers to military courts to hear the cases of hardcore criminals had yielded positive results.
"The country is still going through extraordinary circumstances and facing many challenges. Therefore, it is necessary that these measures should continue," he said, urging the opposition parties to support the government's move. NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said some parties have reservations over the bills and there is a need to create consensus on the legislation. The House will continue discussion on the bills and is likely to approve them by Tuesday or Wednesday. The House passed 'The Post Office (Amendment) Bill, 2016.' Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad tabled the bill in the House for its passage. The bill was approved when only 13 members were present in the House. The bill seeks to further amend the Post Office Act, 1898.