ISLAMABAD: A five-member Supreme Court bench issued a ruling, stating that civilians who participated in the May 9 protests cannot face military court trials, and they declared such trials of civilians unconstitutional.
On Monday afternoon, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, who headed the bench, announced the verdict. The bench also invalidated Section 2, stating it was unconstitutional.
The ruling specified that the 102 civilians facing military trials for their involvement in the May 9 incident could only be prosecuted in civilian courts.
Additionally, the bench rejected a request from nine detained civilians who had expressed confidence in the ability of military courts to deliver justice, citing the absence of attached affidavits with the application.
The decision was made following Attorney General Mansoor Awan’s completion of arguments in the case.
The five-member bench, composed of Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Mazahar Naqvi, and Justice Yahya Afridi, heard the case.
The attorney general informed the court that the Army Act only applies to cases directly related to the military, emphasizing that court-martials are not connected to Article 175 of the constitution.
The government had emphasized the necessity to expedite the military court trials during Sunday’s proceedings to safeguard the accused’s rights.
In a previous hearing, the government had informed the court that 102 civilians involved in the May 9 protests had been transferred to military authorities.
The attorney general had previously assured the court that military trials of civilians would not commence without prior notification to the court.
Iranian Ambassador Warns: Arab Countries’ Ties With Israel A Strategic Mistake
Meanwhile, during a meal hosted by PML-N leader Muhammad Mehdi in Lahore, the Iranian ambassador stated that in the last financial year, the two countries had a bilateral trade volume worth $2.4 billion.
He emphasized that employing a common currency and barter trade could potentially increase the trading volume tenfold. He also noted that despite the likelihood of certain troublemakers attempting to disrupt Pakistan-Iran relations, the leadership and citizens of both nations would successfully thwart such efforts.
