A meeting of parliamentary leaders of different political parties on the possible reconstitution of the Military Courts remained inconclusive as representatives of the government failed to answer a series of questions asked by the opposition parties' members.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chaired the in-camera meeting, wherein parliamentary parties' leaders participated. Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Law Minister Zahid Hamid also attended the meeting.The government representatives have promised to get back to the parliamentary parties' leaders with answers to their questions on the possible revival of the military courts in the next meeting that will be held on January 31.
The meeting lasted for a few hours wherein heated debate on the revival of the military courts took place and parliamentary parties' leaders grilled the government representatives.
Pakistan had legalised the military court trials of terror suspects for a period of two years in January 2015, soon after terrorists killed 144 people, mostly children, at an Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.
An All Parties Conference (APC) gave the nod for the amendments in the Pakistan Army Act to extend its jurisdiction for speedy trial of cases under specified acts and provide the constitutional cover with a sunset clause of two years from the date of enactment.
"The provisions of this Act shall remain in force for a period of two years from the date of its commencement and shall cease to form part of the Constitution and shall stand repealed on the expiration of the said period," reads the 21st Constitutional Amendment.
Zahid Hamid and Muhammad Ishaq Dar briefed the parliamentary parties' leaders on effectiveness of the military courts and the need to reconstitute them through a constitutional amendment.
Their briefings, however, failed to impress the parliamentary parties' leaders as they asked a series of questions on the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), seminary reforms, judicial reforms and the government's policy on the proscribed outfits including the sectarian outfits.
The parliamentary parties' leaders asked the government's representatives as to why they failed to strengthen the judicial system and criminal justice system during the period of two years, when the military courts were active.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq told media persons that the government will answer all the questions raised by the parliamentary parties' leaders in the next meeting that will be held on January 31.
He said that all the participants spoke about all aspects of the issue and the government representatives have expressed their willingness to brief the parliamentary parties' leaders again the on the issue.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that they have asked some specific questions from the government on the military courts and the government has promised to answer all the questions in the next meeting.
He said the reconstitution of the military courts is not an issue of the government; rather, it is an issue of the state.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi suggested the government to convene in-camera joint session of the Parliament to brief the parliamentarians about the issue of terrorism and the government's efforts to curb it.
He said the government's representatives failed to convince the participants about policy of the government on proscribed outfits.
During the period of military courts' validity, 274 cases were referred to the military courts, said ISPR recently in a statement, adding that "out of these 161 were awarded death penalty (12 executed) and 113 were awarded imprisonment of varying duration."
"The disposal through military courts has yielded positive effects towards reduction in terrorist activities," the ISPR claimed.