Government upbeat as opposition softens up on military courts

Follow-up meeting on Jan 17; govt hopeful of winning parties over

ISLAMABAD: As the formal process of consultation got under way on Tuesday, the government appeared to be upbeat about garnering the support of parliamentary parties for an extension in the tenure of military courts.

Top leaders of the mainstream opposition forces attended a meeting convened by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in an effort to win their support. A follow-up session will be called on January 17.



Reports were making rounds that leaders of opposition parties, especially PPP, PTI, JI and even JUI-F, opposed an extension in the tenure of military courts. However, sources said that the government was hopeful of winning over these parties in coming days.

Prior to the meeting, the opposition parties, mainly PPP, PTI, MQM and JI held a consultative session to chart out a joint strategy. However, sources in PTI conceded that they failed to come up with a collective strategy to oppose the military courts.

Later, after the meeting with Speaker Sadiq, the opposition leaders visibly softened their stance on the military courts. “We want to get a detailed briefing on the issue,” Leader of Opposition in NA Khursheed Shah told a select group of journalists.  “The next meeting is on January 17. We hope they (government) would come up with something concrete. We need to know about the progress the government has made towards strengthening the criminal justice system and also about the performance of the military courts,” he added.

Later, while speaking to The Express Tribune, Shah implicitly denied that he had strongly opposed the extension in military courts’ tenure. “It’s not for me to oppose anything without hearing the other side.”

Asked if the PPP would support the military courts in case the government’s stance satisfied it, the politician avoided offering a direct response. “It’s premature to jump to conclusions and inappropriate to be hypothetical.”



Earlier, during the meeting, Law Minister Zahid Hamid briefed the participants on the issue. Sources quoted him as having said that the government was considering introducing a fresh amendment to grant two-year extension to the military courts.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi stuck to his previous stance on the military courts he shared with The Express Tribune on Monday. “Military courts have done a great job and have drastically reduced terrorism but my question is: what has the government done in two years to strengthen criminal justice system?.”

JI was represented by its parliamentary leader in NA Sahibzada Tariqullah, who is said to have opposed the extension to military courts. However, JI chief Sirajul Haq adopted a visibly softened stance. “The government needs to take political forces onboard before striding this difficult path. Still, this does not bail the government out of its failure to take steps to reform Pakistan’s criminal justice system. If the government convinces the political parties on the issue of extension to military courts, only then any progress can be made,” he told The Express Tribune.

The JUI-F also apparently opposes extending military courts’ tenure. Sources, however, said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman is sending ‘positive’ signals to the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2017.