Pakistan SC upholds Parliament's decision to set up military courts

In a landmark ruling, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed petitions against setting up controversial special military courts for speedy trial of militants following the Peshawar school carnage that killed over 150 people, mostly children. In a majority 11-6 vote, the 17-member bench headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk upheld parliament’s decision to form the military courts, dismissing several identical petitions against the 21st constitutional amendment which set up the military courts.

The parliament adopted the amendment and the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 in January to set up special courts after the deadly Taliban attack on a military school in Peshawar on December 16 that killed over 150 people, mostly children.The military courts had awarded death sentence to six accused and life imprisonment to one when their working was suspended on April 16 by the Supreme Court after taking up petitions. The hearing was completed on June 26 but the court had reserved the judgement. Earlier, the court had combined 31 petitions that challenged the powers of parliament to legislate on various issues. There were 15 petitions against the 21st amendment.