ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary leaders from most major political parties agreed on the extension of military courts in a committee session in Islamabad on Thursday.
The committee session was attended by the representatives of the main parliamentary political parties except the PPP, which boycotted the meeting. The attendees, including opposition party PTI and the JUI-F all agreed that an extension of military courts was the most prudent course of action given the current national security reality.
Meanwhile speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Saddiq said he would get in contact with PP chairman Asif Ali Zardari after the committee expressed concerns over the PPP’s absence. The NA speaker said that Zardari and his party wanted the formation of a National Security Committee (NSC) to look into the the issue of military courts.
Leader of the JUI-F, Maulana Fazal ur Rehman, has also claimed that the PPP chairman has been in contact with him and that the former president wishes for an All Parties Conference to be called to decide the fate of military courts.
Asif Ali Zardari had asked his party not to support the extension back in January and the move is expected to be met with resistance from the PPP. MQM leader Farooq Sattar also supported the formation of a NSC saying that this time around political parties would get thier points across rather than simply acquiescing to government demands.