Rana Sanaullah, a prominent figure in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former Interior Minister, has recently made strong comments directed at retired Chief Justice Jawad S. Khawaja.
These remarks from the PML-N leader were prompted by Khawaja’s objections regarding the inclusion of Justice Tariq Masood in the Supreme Court’s bench overseeing the trial of civilians in military courts.
In a tweet, Rana Sanaullah accused Khawaja of attempting to favor national criminals by raising objections against the judicial process. He characterized Khawaja’s actions as a questionable effort to leverage his influence in creating divisions within the higher judiciary, especially in cases involving civilians facing trials in military courts.
The former minister underscored that individuals implicated in the events of May 9 are not only considered criminals by the law but also pose a threat to the nation.
He emphatically stated that such offenders should not receive any leniency, suggesting that Khawaja’s efforts to provide relief to these alleged criminals would not gain public approval or support.
Supreme Court Faces Challenge Over Justice Tariq Masood’s Role in Civilian Military Trials Case
In another development, a petition was submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) challenging the inclusion of Justice Tariq Masood in the bench assigned to hear intra-court appeals against the top court’s decision nullifying civilian trials in military courts.
Justice Tariq Masood leads the six-member SC bench scheduled to address various pleas filed by the federal government, Ministry of Defence, and provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan on December 13. These pleas oppose the SC ruling that deemed the trials of civilians in military courts as “null and void.”
In the aftermath of the May 9 riots triggered by the arrest of then-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, where military installations were vandalized nationwide, the federal government announced military trials for those allegedly involved in the riots.
However, several petitions were submitted to the SC by Imran Khan, Aitzaz Ahsan, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) Executive Director Karamat Ali, and former Chief Justice of Pakistan Jawwad S Khawaja opposing the military trials of civilians.
