ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR/LAHORE:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday increased pressure on the military court convictions, with former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, pointed to the justice system that is collapsing under the weight. of injustice.
Dr. Rashid, in a handwritten statement, called the endorsement of military courts’ jurisdiction over civilian cases a “final blow to human rights,” while Ayub vowed to challenge military courts’ verdicts in court. superiors and demanded judicial investigations into key political incidents.
Dr. Yasmin Rashid accused the constitutional court of undermining human rights by upholding the authority of military courts to prosecute civilians.
He called the move a “final blow to human rights,” following the establishment of a constitutional court under the 26th Amendment. He added that the “facade of democracy” in Pakistan had collapsed.
“How much longer will Pakistan endure these atrocities?” he questioned, criticizing what he described as a breakdown of justice and fundamental freedoms.
Referring to the events of May 9, Dr. Rashid accused the current government of weaponizing the anti-PTI incident while ignoring the alleged injustices that occurred under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. .
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan announced that the sentences imposed on PTI workers by military courts will be challenged in the higher courts, adding that legal aid would be provided to all affected persons.
‘Military convictions put hard-earned GSP+ status at risk’
PTI Central Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram has said that the EU’s fears regarding sentencing of civilians in military courts are well founded and justified.
He said the trial of civilians in military courts will not only further isolate Pakistan in diplomatic circles but also threaten its hard-won preferential access to EU trade.
“The EU’s concerns that military court decisions are incompatible with Pakistan’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) are valid.
“Pakistan’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees due process and fair trials, is integral to its continued participation in the plan, but in this case, civilians are deprived of all legal rights and fundamental constitutional rights and the military courts made unilateral decisions,” he stated. said in a statement
He said EU foreign affairs and security policy spokesperson Anouar El Anouni has raised valid concerns about the sentencing of 25 people by military courts for their involvement in the May 9 attacks on state facilities in Pakistan.
Waqas said these draconian measures and ill-conceived tactics would only serve to exacerbate the country’s problems, plunging it deeper into crisis.
