Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary leaders on Tuesday held a discussion on the recently ceased military courts, which played a key role in the hearings and punishment of the militants.

The parliamentary leaders’ maiden meeting on the military courts was presided over by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and attended by Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Law and Justice Minister Zahid Hamid, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Akram Khan Durrani, Syed NaveedQamar, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Dr Farooq Sattar, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Shireen Mazari, Sahibzada Tariq Ullah and Haji Shah Afradi.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Ayaz Sadiq said that it was an initial meeting of the political parties and the next meeting would be held on January 17 and then we would carefully assess each and every aspect of the situation and decide if the military courts should be granted an extension, after completing their mandated term.

Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that the government wanted to amend the constitution to give an extension to the military courts and he would put the government’s point of view before Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) leadership.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the opposition parties had inquired about the performance report of military.

Qureshi said that government should also share the progress regarding National Action Plan’s (NAP) implementation, Anti-Terrorism Courts’ performance and the security measures taken so far to improve the law and order of the country.