- Defence minister says establishment of military courts clearly indicates system’s failure
Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that Pakistan is closely monitoring tense situations along its eastern and western borders, saying “our defence is in strong hands and we have capability to give a strong response to enemies.”
Addressing a meeting of lawyers held at the District Bar Association (DBA) office here on Saturday, he said that Pakistan always wants to establish durable peace and peaceful ties with its neighbours, including Afghanistan and India. “No one should consider desire of peace as our weakness,” he pointed out.
He said that the establishment of military courts had become demand of the day and vital to cope with terrorism. He pointed out that the establishment of the military courts was synonymous to admitting that the present system has failed. “Pakistan is passing through extraordinary circumstances and is in dire need of making extra ordinary measures to tackle internal and external challenges,” he said.
“Those who have pointed their guns on us, and on whose target is our society, country and our system, were armed 25 years ago by the then state,” he told the gathering. “The goals were different then; but no one would have thought that the same guns would be turned on us,” he said. “No one knew that we would legislate and bring a constitutional amendment to punish them,” he said.
On Friday, the government tabled a draft bill in the National Assembly seeking amendment in the constitution for the revival of the military courts for another two years. The draft stated that Pakistan was going through extraordinary circumstances where terrorist outfits pose a threat to its existence. In such a situation, extraordinary measures must be taken, Minister for Law Zahid Hamid said on the floor of the assembly.
Asif told the lawyers that the government was committed to weed out terrorism and the security operations had broken the nexus of terrorists. He saluted the armed forces and other law enforcing agencies and the masses for battling against terrorism. He said that the nation stands united against terrorism and was ready to sacrifice their lives while battling against terrorism shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces.
Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly member Chaudhry Muhamamd Ishaq, DBA President Shaukat Ali Chaudhary, General Secretary Zahid Saleem Bajwa, Sialkot Mayor Chaudhary Tauheed Akhtar and others were also present. Earlier, the minister announced Rs 10 million special grant for the District Bar Association (DBA).
He urged the lawyers to utilise their full energies for dispensing justice to the needy, oppressed and poor people in society. He assured that all problems being faced by the lawyers would be resolved amicably. He said that the government firmly believed in supremacy of law and rule of law.
He said that the government was also making sincere efforts for ensuring an early transition of powers to the local bodies, adding that the LBs played pivotal role in strengthening democracy and democratic norms. He pledged to get the district courts of Sialkot exempted from loadshedding during the working timings.
On the occasion, Asif announced the establishment of the campuses of the Agriculture University of Faisalabad and the Bahria University at Sialkot, adding the process of the establishing campuses of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the Textile University was under progress. He said that the government had already a special tranche of Rs 180 million for the NUST campus at Sialkot.
The minister said that the construction work of mega project of Sialkot-Lahore Motorway had been started at various places near Daska, Sambrial and Sialkot. He said the project would be completed within a stipulated period of the next one-and-half years. He said that the project of the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway had been extended to Kharian-Gujrat, Dina-Jhelum, Mirpur-Muzaffarabad.
Asif announced to connect the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway with the CPEC projects as well. He said that the Punjab government had also allocated special development funds of millions of rupees for the early dualisation of main Sialkot-Eimanabad Road from Pull Aik Sialkot city to Dharam Kot-Daska for providing better means of communication to the people.
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