Military courts are not working on Army's wish: DG ISPR

LAHORE - Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Pakistan (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor Friday said military courts were formed by the Parliament after the incident of Army Public School (APS) after developing a political consensus that criminal justice system of the country was not effective to deal the cases of terrorism.

The military courts were not established on the desire of Pakistan Army but it was the need of the situation to deal the cases of terrorism and to punish the terrorists with a speedy trial.

Talking to Dunya TV, he said the Parliament would decide about the further extension of the military courts. He said the military courts would continue its working with the approval of the Parliament.

He said military courts had received 717 cases during their four years time period and out of total 646 cases were finalized in which 345 persons were awarded death penalties out of which 56 were executed.

Asif Ghafoor said due to the formation of military courts now terrorist and their organizations were more afraid of punishment.

On the other hand, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had decided to oppose any further extension in the tenure of the military courts.

“The PPP will oppose it at all costs,” he said while addressing a press conference along with Farhatullah Babar after a meeting of the party’s central office-bearers and senior leaders at Bilawal House.

The meeting was jointly chaired by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari while Faryal Talpur, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Aitzaz Ahsan, Raza Rabbani, Khursheed Shah, Sherry Rehman, Murad Ali Shah and others were also present.