Political parties agree to extend military courts’ tenure for 2 yrs

islamabad — The parliamentary committee in its eighth meeting on Tuesday unanimously agreed on matter of extension of military courts for two years.

The military courts were set up in January 2015 for a two-year term after a constitutional amendment following a terror attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed over 150 people, mostly children.

Since their expiry last month, government has been trying to bring the political parties around the idea of another tenure for military courts.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that it was a unanimous decision of leaders of parliamentary parties to extend the tenure of military courts.

He said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which has some reservations on the military courts, did not attend the meeting. However, he hoped that after holding all parties conference, the PPP would also support the idea.

He said there was a proposal of convening the Senate session on March 3 and the National Assembly session on March 6 to discuss the matter.

He said both sessions would be held on proposed dates and the government would welcome any positive suggestion on the matter. Dar said killing of one human being was actually killing of the whole humanity. He said terrorism should not be linked to Islam as it is the religion of peace and harmony.

He said the agenda of terrorists was just to create anarchy in the country and they would not be successful in their nefarious designs. Central leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said parliamentary parties leaders had given extension to the courts with consensus.

He said the decision was made keeping in view the national interest and termed it a good development.

“The decision was our national requirement,” Qureshi added.

Central leader of the Awami National Party, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, said it was a unanimous decision regarding extension in military courts tenure.

He said the menace of terrorism could be handled only with unity.

Chief of the Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Sherpao said it was a good omen that the extension to military courts had been approved with mutual understanding to cope with the worsening law and order in the country.