PTI rejects CB ruling on military courts
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad following the SC ruling, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja called it "another dark day" for the country, saying the Constitution had been attacked. "It is the darkest day of my career as a lawyer," said Raja, adding, "The entire nation feels sorrow over today's verdict."
He said the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court had delivered a judgment that undermined the progress of the past 80 years. Referring to Article 175(3), which came into force in 1988 to define the boundaries between the executive and judiciary, he said: "Today's decision has dismantled the very the foundations of the constitutional structure."
As per the decision, Army officers will decide the fate of civilians behind closed doors, said Raja, adding, they could award life term or death penalty as per their discretion. He highlighted that Pakistan would be the only country where civilians will be tried in military courts.
He said a five-member bench earlier termed military courts unconstitutional and illegal. Then, an appeal was filed in 2023 against the decision. In October 2024, the 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed and a constitutional bench was formed with judges of their choosing, said the PTI leader.
He said the CB's decision has deprived Pakistan's citizens of fair trials.
On the occasion, Babar Awan said the SC ruling has led to a new constitutional crisis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
12 hours ago
- Business Recorder
‘Planting food, not hate': Brazil's Lula razzes Trump over tariff-hit grapes
BRASÍLIA: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that he hopes Donald Trump can come and get to know the real Brazil, as the South American powerhouse reels from Washington's 50-percent tariffs. In a video taken while he planted grapes — one of the tariff-hit goods — Brazil's leftist leader addressed Trump. 'I hope you can visit someday so we can talk and you can get to know the true Brazil, the Brazil of people who love samba, carnival, soccer, the United States, China, Russia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. We love everyone,' Lula said. The tariffs imposed on Brazil are among the steepest to hit a US trading partner. And unlike with other countries, the measures against Brazil have been framed in openly political terms, with the Republican president justifying the move by alleging Brasilia is conducting a 'witch hunt' against his ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is being tried for an alleged coup attempt against Lula in 2022, and the United States recently sanctioned the judge in the case, along with seven other Supreme Court magistrates. Lula has backed the Supreme Court and promises to defend 'the sovereignty of the Brazilian people.' His administration has also vowed to combat Trump's tariffs, including by lodging an appeal if necessary. The levies, which affect several key exports from the largest economy in Latin America, sweep aside centuries-old trade ties and a surplus that Brasilia put at $284 million last year. In his message on X, Lula said he was giving an example of 'planting food, and not planting violence, or planting hate.' 'I hope that someday we can talk, President Trump, so you can learn about the quality of the Brazilian people,' he adds.
Express Tribune
12 hours ago
- Express Tribune
PML-N, PPP refuse to sign APC declaration
The PML-N and the PPP on Sunday refused to sign a declaration adopted by an All Parties Conference (APC) that among other things demanded immediate halt to all military operations and described terrorism, extremism, and lawlessness as an outcome of poor government policies. The APC convened in the federal capital by the ANP was attended by all major political parties. Speaking on the occasion, ANP chief Aimal Wali Khan said there are people in Waziristan — a district that has witnessed a number of military operations in the past two decades — who have not returned home for 12 years. He said such a situation could not be called development. Khan said his party is not against Punjab and is pro-Pakistan. "But Pakistan does not give us equal rights. Asking for our rights should not be seen as being against Pakistan," he added. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said there is a question mark on the political and parliamentary system of the country as the present government is not representative of the people but a government of the establishment. "Our peaceful protests and marches are branded as rebellion — this is what pushes movements toward revolt," he said. QWP chief Aftab Khan Sherpao said the government, not the establishment, should conduct negotiations with the opposition. "If direct talks are held, it will bypass parliament. The PM should convene a meeting and include representatives of the establishment." PML-N leader Irfan Siddiqui supported Fazl's call for a national dialogue, adding that martial laws and dictators have hollowed out the state. However, he questioned if politicians' hands were also clean. "This same army has defeated an enemy five times its size. If martial law was truly in place, such conferences would not even be possible. "Pakistan will survive, the four provinces will endure, and no one will be allowed to undermine the Constitution. The army sees Pakistan from a Pakistani perspective," he said. A joint communiqué presented at the APC, however, caused a split among political parties. The PML-N and the PPP opposed the declaration, refused to sign it, and boycotted the press conference. The communiqué termed the ongoing unrest, terrorism, and violation of rights in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan as a result of failed state policies, stressing that sustainable peace and progress in Pakistan could not be achieved without democracy, supremacy of the Constitution, and provincial rights. It demanded immediate halt to all military operations in the K-P and Balochistan and establishment of a Truth Commission under judicial supervision to investigate human and financial losses. The declaration described terrorism, extremism, and lawlessness as outcomes of poor government policies, calling for comprehensive measures to eliminate them. It called for disbanding all alleged "death squads" and illegal armed groups, ensuring the protection of citizens' lives and property. It called for recognition of provinces' rights over minerals and resources in line with the 18th Constitutional Amendment and rejected the proposal to merge the Levies Force into the police in Balochistan, calling instead for its modernization. The declaration also called for transfer of all powers in the merged tribal districts to the civil administration and abolition of laws like "Action in Aid of Civil Power". It described enforced disappearances as blatant violations of the Constitution, demanding the recovery and production of all missing persons before courts. It also called for release of all "political prisoners" and provision of a free environment for political activities. The APC also demanded immediate dissolution of unconstitutional bodies, "particularly the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)". It also called for repealing unjust laws such as 3-MPO and the Fourth Schedule and condemned the government over its failure to arrest the killers of ANP leaders Maulana Khanzeb, Mufti Munir Shakir, and other martyrs. It demanded rehabilitation of terrorism- and operation-affected areas, along with the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and provision of compensation, jobs, and business opportunities. PPP's Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, PML-N's Irfan Siddiqui and Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry all declined to sign. "These are your demands, not ours and we cannot endorse them," Siddiqui said. The MQM, the PML-Q, and other parties, however, supported the declaration. Participants also expressed sorrow over the natural disasters and devastating floods in the K-P. In light of the situation, the Islamabad "Peace March" scheduled for August 23 against terrorism and military operations in K-P was postponed.
Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Probe into all national tragedies: PTI reiterates its demand for an ‘empowered' JC
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reiterated its demand for an empowered judicial commission to probe all national tragedies since the country's inception, including the May 9 incidents and the November 26 bloodbath, so as to bring the culprits to justice. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a strongly worded statement, on Sunday, stated that the matter of a so-called 'sincere apology' was part of a private discussion with a journalist, reiterating that the party and its leadership have consistently demanded an impartial probe into the matter to bring the actual orchestrators and beneficiaries of the false flag operation to justice. Waqas stated that the matter was deliberately brushed under the carpet, while PTI leaders and workers have been unjustly thrown into jails for the past two years. He said that the so-called issue of apology was being deliberately recycled in the media to distract the nation from the grave crises it faces today and to protect those who looted Pakistan's wealth, trampled the Constitution, and brought the country to its knees. Waqas asserted that the country's current crises stem from decades of unchecked power abuses, political manipulation, and institutional overreach. He emphasized that sycophants and enablers who glorified unconstitutional acts were equally responsible for Pakistan's downfall. 'PTI demanded for an empowered judicial commission, comprising judges of unquestionable integrity, to probe all national tragedies — from the Fall of Dhaka to the May 9 incidents, the February 8 daylight poll robbery, the November 26 bloodbath, desecration of the four walls and Parliament House, humiliation of women, and the unlawful detention of political workers and leaders in fabricated, concocted, and politically motivated cases driven by vendetta,' he said. He stressed that every individual guilty of these grave crimes against the nation must be brought to justice without exception, regardless of rank, office, or influence. He stated that the unlawfully incarcerated PTI Patron-in-chief was the only leader with a vision, unimpeachable integrity and a clear road-map to rescue Pakistan from the abyss created by decades of corruption, constitutional violations and misrule. He categorically stated that PTI founder was the sole hope for Pakistan's salvation, capable of liberating the nation from the clutches of a corrupt, self-serving mafia gripped by Imran-phobia, terrified that his release would render them politically orphaned. Therefore, Waqas stated that the nation demanded the earliest release of Imran Khan from the unlawful incarceration so as to pull the country out of the current crises. He emphasized that PTI believes in meaningful political dialogue and a negotiated settlement of national issues, and is even ready for a new social contract. However, he made it clear that this is only possible if the supremacy of the Constitution is unconditionally acknowledged, judicial independence genuinely respected, and the rule of law strictly upheld. He warned that Pakistan cannot progress unless all state institutions are compelled to operate strictly within their constitutionally defined limits, instead of overstepping their mandate — a vision clearly laid down by the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The PTI Central Information Secretary (CIS) stated that PTI had shown magnanimity and sought forgiveness from the nation over the extension issue. He demanded that other political parties and power-wielders should also muster the courage to seek a public apology for their grave blunders of the past, which pushed the country to the brink of collapse. He stated that the nation had been deceived for decades with hollow slogans and flowery promises of economic revival by unelected regimes, but each time they only brought disasters. He pointed out that massive corruption scandals, including the wheat and sugar crises, went unpunished, while the country's reserves were artificially propped up through temporary loans from friendly nations instead of genuine economic growth. He lamented that Balochistan had been turned into a no-go area, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been plunged into lawlessness, and Punjab and Sindh were left at the mercy of powerful kacha gangs who now rule the roost with impunity. PTI CIS warned that Pakistan would remain trapped in a vicious cycle unless it breaks free from the culture of unnecessary extensions, favouritism, and sidelining of competent officers, as such practices breed unrest, stifle leadership growth, and send a damaging message that the country lacks capable individuals to run its affairs. He said the path to political stability and national unity lies not in forcing Khan into submission, but in holding accountable those who have suffocated democracy, undermined institutions and trampled on people's mandate. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
