The Pakistani government has informed the Supreme Court that the military trials of individuals, accused of the 9 May riots followed by the arrest of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in a corruption case, have begun.
In an application, the government said that the accused have been in custody since May this year and that the trials have already begun.
“It is important to conduct and conclude the trials so that those who may merit acquittal can be acquitted and those who may merit minor sentences and have already served the time in custody can also be released”, the government said.
The application further said that they can also avail remedies available under law. However, the government maintained that the trials of the accused “shall remain subject to the outcome of the proceedings in the titled petition”.
Apart from this, the top court was also informed that at least 102 people were taken into custody for their involvement in the attacks on military installations and that they have been in custody under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 read with the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
The five-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsan and comprising Justices Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Ayesha Malik will be hearing pleas challenging the trials of civilians in military court.
The last hearing in the matter was on 3 August, when the then-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said that the Supreme Court “would stop the country's army from resorting to any unconstitutional moves”.
However, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan assured the CJP that military trials would not proceed without informing the top court.
Despite the assurance from the AGP, ex-PM Imran Khan, former chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, and five civil society members, including Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) Executive Director Karamat Ali, requested that the Supreme Court declare the military trials “unconstitutional”.