Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has rejected the sentences handed down by military courts to civilians as Party leader Omar Ayub stated that military courts have no jurisdiction to try or sentence civilians. In a tweet, Omar Ayub condemned the military court verdicts against PTI detainees, terming them a violation of justice. The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly emphasized that the detainees are ordinary citizens who cannot be tried in military courts, describing such courts sentencing civilians as “kangaroo courts” and arguing that they undermine the principles of justice. “Military courts are not legitimate judicial partners of the state’s judicial power. Armed forces are part of the state’s administrative apparatus, not the judiciary,” Ayub said.

He added that the establishment of such courts violates judicial independence and the constitutional principle of separation of powers, undermining the foundational features of the Constitution. Meanwhile, Former Speaker of the National Assembly and PTI leader Asad Qaiser also denounced the military courts’ decisions, calling them a breach of fundamental human rights. “These trials have failed to meet the standards of justice,” Qaiser remarked while expressing his disappointment with the Supreme Court’s stance on the matter, vowing to continue the struggle for justice. Separately, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi has granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in 32 cases. The former first lady, who faces charges related to protests held between November 24 and November 27, appeared in court on Saturday where she was granted relief. The court also ordered that she not be arrested until January 13, 2025.