National Action Plan: Fazlullah, Sufi Muhammad cases slated for military courts

K-P committee draws tentative list of 423 cases to be forwarded.

PESHAWAR:

An estimated 423 cases, including those involving Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah and his father-in-law Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who also headed Tehreek-i-Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM), will be forwarded to military courts for trial.

A high-level committee established by the Home and Tribal Affairs Department and comprising the additional IG (Operations), additional IG (Investigation) and director general (Prosecution) have been scrutinising the cases to be sent to the military courts for trial in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and an official revealed that 166 cases from Peshawar have been picked out.

“Sufi Muhammad is already facing trial but if the government wants to send his case to the military courts, it can,” the official said, adding that terrorism cases in which head of other factions of the TTP had been nominated as accused will be sent to the military courts as well.

“Hardcore terrorism cases, which include the use of suicide bombings and IED attacks, extortion cases and kidnapping for ransom cases will be sent to the military courts,” Additional IG (Investigation) Muhammad Ali Baba Khel, a member of the scrutiny committee told The Express Tribune. “These cases are currently under scrutiny and we are being extra careful in this regard.”

“We have to take care of the health of the cases as well because any weak case without proper evidence will not be recommended and there are other aspects like this to be considered,” he added. The current list of cases is not final, he said, and once it is finalised, it will be forwarded to the home department.

Other accused whose cases are being scrutinised at the moment include TTP’s Wali Muhammad, Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, Khalid, Hayat, Ilyas, Umar Hayat, Hazarullah, Omarzada, Shamsher, Khalilullah, Noor Islam and Zakir.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2015.