Pak's apex court seeks details about military trials of civilians involved in May 9 violence

It also sought a summary of the verdicts reserved by the military courts in the matter.The apex court ordered that it be informed about how many suspects could be acquitted and how many could not be, adding that all details be submitted by March 28.It also sought information on the suspects who were to be sentenced for shorter periods.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday asked authorities to provide details about the military trials of civilians for their alleged involvement in the violent events of May 9 last year.

The case is about the trial of 103 civilians for their alleged involvement in the attacks on army installations during the riots that erupted after the arrest of former premier Imran Khan.

A six-member bench of Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Azhar Hasan Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan heard a set of intra-court appeals (ICAs) against its Oct 23, 2023, unanimous ruling nullifying the military trials of civilians.

A five-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Ayesha Malik had unanimously declared that trying the accused civilians in military courts was against the Constitution of the country. The bench also ruled they should be tried in civilian criminal courts.

A set of ICAs followed and the court on December 13 last year suspended the verdict by a 5-1 majority till the adjudication of the appeals.

The appeals were filed by the then-caretaker federal government and provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab as well as by the defence ministry.

During the hearing, Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Awan told the court that the trials had been completed but the verdicts were not announced.

The court sought details from the attorney general about the number of suspects who would be acquitted out of the 103 under custody. It also sought a summary of the verdicts reserved by the military courts in the matter.

The apex court ordered that it be informed about "how many suspects could be acquitted and how many could not be", adding that all details be submitted by March 28.

It also sought information on the suspects who were to be sentenced for shorter periods. "The stay order on the military courts' case will be amended according to the summary," it noted.

Hundreds of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers and leaders were arrested after the riot but only those allegedly involved in attacks on army installations were selected for trial by the military courts.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)