Govt adamant to table bill on mily courts in NA on Friday

• Senator Dar says all lawmakers have right to bring amendments
• PPP slams claims of consensus, says govt tries to create erroneous impression about opposition party’s stance

Federal Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday said that the constitutional amendment bill for the extension in term of military courts would be presented in the National Assembly on Friday (today).

Talking to media after the meeting with the parliamentary parties’ heads, he said it was decided that the government would lay the Constitutional Amendment Bill and Army Act Amendment Bill in the National Assembly. He said that all members of the parliament had the right to bring their amendments in the house for debate and discussion for legislation.

Senator Dar said that a ‘consensus’ had been evolved in the meeting for two-year extension in term of military courts. He said that the Pakistan People’s Party had withdrawn from its demand to appoint a sessions judge during trials in the military courts. He also said that some of the proposed suggestions already existed in the draft bill and political parties had no objection on them.

He said that there was no objection on the Evidence Act and Right of Judicial Review as all these points were clearly mentioned and defined in the constitution. The deadlock over the extension of the military courts seems to continue after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) denied the statement issued by Senator Dar that the main opposition party has finally agreed to two-year extension to the military courts.

The government stated that PPP was on board the military court bandwagon after two recommendations namely right to appeal and making Law of Evidence, 1984 applicable to the military courts out of original nine that included chief justice nominated session judge or additional session judge presiding the courts along the military office, limitation period of 60 days on appeal, right of accused to engage a counsel, judicial review under Article 199, grounds of arrest to be given to the accused within 24 hours and grounds of arrest to be communicated to accused within 24 hours were accepted.

In a statement issued by PPP leader Senator Farhatullah Babar reads that the PPP totally and roundly rejects any statement purportedly issued by any official agency creating a false and erroneous impression of the PPP having agreed to the draft proposals of the government. PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari put forward the above nine recommendations and suggested that this time around the military courts be given extension of one-year during all-party conference held on March 4.

It is pertinent to mention here that a consensus over the military courts was already present among most of the political parties, the PPP-led All Parties Conference held on March 4 to discuss the government’s bill for extending military courts for another two years failed to attract other parties like the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. It said that PPP being left high and dry by major players. The military courts came to an end on January 7, 2017 after being in place for two years.

Due to law and order situation and recent wave of terrorism, the government decided to grant an extension to them, however, the topic caused friction among various parties. Many from the lawyer community and civil society have raised their reservations on the opaqueness of the process and lack of recourse against the decisions taken by the military courts. Talking to the media, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureishi said that a consensus has been developed among the parties and a draft bill has been approved.

However, Ilyas Bilour of the Awami National Party said that there was still confusion among the parties. Senator Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Zahid Hamid, Aitzaz Ahsan, Farooq H Naik, Shah Mehmood Qureishi, Shirin Mazari, Sahibzada Tariqullah, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Farooq Sattar, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Ilyas Bilour, Akram Durrani, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Azam Swati and Shah Gulbaaz Afridi attended the meeting, presided over by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.