I have before me a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which shows that the recent statement by the opposition leader in a political gathering vehemently accusing a serving officer was one transgression too many.
The campaign to malign the state institution without any proof had been going on for some time and the reaction was long expected. The last sentence of the press release which talked about the institution’s right to take legal action against the propaganda was the most significant point.
People would do well to remember that after the 21st amendment, which was duly validated by the Supreme Court, a civilian can be tried in a military court.
The most recent example is that of a son of a military veteran, a civilian, who was court martialled for writing a letter with some critical points to the former army chief. Will the situation go that far in the current case? That is the big question.
MALIK UL QUDDOOS
KARACHI
