RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that the
Military courts were not established merely on the desire of the Army, but these were a national requirement.“The decision on
Military courts’ extension rests with parliament,” the Army spokesman said while talking to a private news channel on Friday night. He said the
Military courts will continue their work if the Parliament decided to extend their tenure. Now it needs to be seen, the DG
ISPR added, if the criminal justice system has become effective enough to deal with the cases.The tenure of
Military courts, which were established after the 2014 Peshawar terrorist attack, is set to expire in March. The DG
ISPR said lawmakers can decide on the fate of
Military courts “keeping in view the current situation and their impact”.Asif Ghafoor said even the previous extensions to
Military courts were given by the public representatives, and the decision has to be taken with consensus. He explained that
Military courts were established because the country’s criminal justice system couldn’t effectively deal with terrorism cases.“It was decided through a national consensus that
Military courts should be established and death penalty be revived,” he said. The
Military spokesman said 717 cases were given to
Military courts in the last four years, 646 of which were disposed of. The DG
ISPR said there was a transparent system through which the cases were transferred to
Military courts. “These cases have no link with missing persons,” he asserted and added that
Military courts created fear among terrorists.“Military
courts have sent a clear message to terror outfits, militants and their handlers that they can be punished,” he said.Earlier this month, the Law Ministry informed that the summary for a second extension to
Military courts was forwarded to the cabinet for approval.
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