On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) conditionally permitted military courts to deliver their pending judgments, specifically in cases related to the May 9 violence, ensuring the possibility of releasing accused individuals before Eid.
This directive came from a six-member larger bench led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, which included Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, Musarat Hilali, and Irfan Saadat Khan.
The SC emphasized that verdicts in certain cases should be expedited. In response, the Attorney General of Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, committed to providing leniency for those facing shorter sentences. The court also requested an update on these proceedings and postponed the hearing until the end of April.
The initiation of this legal discourse was a challenge to the SC’s October 23 decision, which opposed the military trial of civilians. Following the arrest of Imran Khan, leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the Al-Qadir Trust case, riots erupted on May 9, prompting PTI’s chairman and others to contest the SC’s decision on civilian trials in military courts.
The appellants urged the apex court to suspend its earlier judgment pending a review, as the accused sought trial in military courts. In a subsequent report to the SC, the government disclosed the arrest of 102 individuals post the May 9 and 10 events, highlighting their involvement in assaults on key military sites across various cities.
These individuals were detained under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, in conjunction with the Official Secrets Act, 1923, for their actions against military installations.
