Country still needs military courts, says Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in an interview said that the country still needs the military courts, ARY News reported.

In an interview to British broadcaster Pakistan’s information minister said that the country is nearing to completely defeating the menace of terrorism.

The military courts which were set up under the National Action Plan (NAP) in 2015 to try civilians on terrorism charges finally ceased to function on March 31, as their constitutionally extended two-year term expired.

These courts were set up under a constitutional approval by the parliament, after a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, which claimed the lives of 144 people and mostly of the victims were children.

The minister said that an extension in the term of the military courts required a concensus in political parties over the matter.

It is to mention here that to further extend the term of the military courts the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) requires two-third majority in the partliament for a constitutional amendment but it does not have the required numbers and needed support from the opposition.

Information Minister Chaudhry said that the government will try to create political concensus over the issue.

He said the term of these courts will be extended if the government will succeed in getting an agreement of the political parties over the matter.

The courts were given a two-year constitutional cover as both houses of the parliament passed the 21st constitutional amendment with the inclusion of a sunset clause.

The courts were granted extension for another two years by the parliament in March 2017, which comes to an end on March 31.