ARMY CHIEF CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE FOR 6 MEN TRIED BY RECENTLY SET UP MILITARY COURTS

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif confirmed the death sentence given to six hardened terrorists who were tried by the recently established military courts, said an ISPR statement issued on Thursday, according to Dawn newspaper.

The director general of military’s media wing, Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said that the convicted criminals were involved in heinous acts of terror, manslaughter, suicide bombings and other criminal activities. They, however, have the right to appeal before the court against this judgment.

Political parties had unanimously agreed over the issue of setting up military courts for tackling terrorism cases in the country following the gruesome attack on APS Peshawar on December 16.

President Mamnoon Hussain had promulgated an ordinance further revising the recently amended Army Act to ostensibly aid the functioning of military courts by allowing for trials in camera, ie without the presence of the public or the media, and over video link if necessary.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had expressed serious alarm over the decision to set up military courts to try terror suspects and has termed it against the law and constitution.

“The commission is dismayed that all political parties supported this unfortunate decision, although some had earlier expressed reservations. HRCP has a number of concerns over this move,” chairperson of the commission Zohra Yusuf said in a statement.

Military courts were mooted as a narrow and limited solution to a very serious problem: hardcore terrorists and terrorist masterminds who needed to be convicted and remain convicts in a broken criminal justice system.

Already though there are suggestions in various quarters, usually in response to an unforeseen and undesirable event, that the scope of military courts be expanded.