Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial of the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced on Thursday that the court would prevent the country’s army from resorting to any unconstitutional measures as it heard pleas challenging the trial of civilians in military courts.
The case was heard by a six-member bench led by the Chief Justice, and at the end of the hearing, he declared the court’s commitment to ensuring justice is served, stating that the cases complying with the Constitution would be successful.
The Chief Justice sought assurance from the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, that military trials of civilians would not proceed. The Attorney General responded that the military’s top leadership had assured that there was no intention to subvert the Constitution and the law.
During the hearing, petitioner Aitzaz Ahsan requested the court to take notice of the proposed amendments to the Official Secrets Act, 1923. He expressed concerns that the amendments would grant intelligence agencies extensive powers to raid and arrest without a search warrant, violating the sanctity of individuals’ homes.
The petitions challenging the military trials of civilians were filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, legal expert Aitzaz Ahsan, and five civil society members, among others. They urged the court to declare military trials of civilians as unconstitutional.
The government’s decision to conduct military court trials for those involved in the May 9 violent riots across the country has been contested as unconstitutional by various petitioners, leading to the hearing in the Supreme Court.