Pakistani SC To Army: No Unconstitutional Steps Chief Judge Reminder On Imran Protest Trials | Indian News – India Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Bandial of Umar Ata made clear Thursday that the Supreme Court will not allow the military to take “unconstitutional action” as a six-judge court indefinitely adjourned hearing on petitions challenging military court trials of civilians accused of attacking facilities of the army after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan this May.

Justice Bandial He expressed “regret and pain” over the attacks by Imran supporters on May 9 and said he did not want “the army to raise its arms against the people of Pakistan.” “The armed forces are to be commended for not opening fire on civilians despite the violence. However, the military will not be allowed to take illegal measures,” said Judge Bandial.
The Chief Justice then sought assurances from Attorney General (AG) Mansoor Usman Awan, on behalf of the government, that the military trials would not continue. Awan He told the court that the 102 civilians in military custody would be “fairly treated” and claimed that their guarantees came from “high-ranking military officers.”

At one point during the hearing, Awan tried to tell the court that the military “are armed.” “Remember one thing: it is the armed forces. If they are attacked, they have weapons to defend themselves.
The AG went further, noting that the military is equipped to fire bullets. “It is not possible that if they are attacked, they would first approach the police to file a formal complaint,” Awan said.
This prompted the lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, one of the petitioners against the military trials, to ask why the army “did not open fire.” “We don’t want such a situation to be created the next time the army resorts to opening fire. That is why we are conducting military trials,” the AG replied.
Given this, Ahsan questioned the AG’s guarantees in court when the Shehbaz Sharif-led government’s term ends next week, on August 12. “How can they give guarantees then?” he asked him.
Early in the hearing, Ahsan tried to draw attention to another matter, the recently proposed amendments to the Official Secrets Act of 1923. The changes, Ahsan argued, give intelligence agencies unlimited powers to carry out raids and arrests.
Justice Bandial asked if the amendments had been approved. When told it was still a bill, he said: “Let’s see how the upper house (Senate) of Parliament reacts.”