Pakistan minister Attaullah Tarar defends military trial of civilians

Islamabad: A Pakistani minister on Wednesday defended the military trial of civilians, saying that such courts were competent to deal with the cases related to attacks on army facilities.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also urged the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan to refrain from politicising or disputing the issue of military trials.

"When an attack is carried out on a defence institution or its property is set ablaze, it becomes the responsibility of the relevant authorities to apprehend the culprits. Just as railway police handle crimes on railway premises, military courts address offences targeting military assets. So, when attacks on military assets occur, the Military Act is enforced," he said while addressing a press conference.

Tarar criticised Khan's party for using military courts as a political tool, aiming to create controversy around them. He clarified that military courts only handle cases involving attacks on defence establishments, citing incidents such as the attack on the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore.

The minister also criticised the PTI for changing its stance regarding trials of civilians in the military courts, recalling that during Khan's tenure, military court trials were praised.

"The statements praising the military courts from PTI’s leadership are still available on social media. Yet now, the same individuals are lobbying internationally against these courts,” Tarar said.

He assured that military trials adhere to fair trial principles and dismissed claims of injustice in military trials.

The military courts tasked to hear cases of suspects involved in the attacks on military facilities on the May 9, 2023 protest last week sentenced 25 civilians to prison terms ranging from 2-10 years.

Khan's party criticized the verdicts, arguing that military courts have no jurisdiction over civilians.