Judiciary must be prevented from interfering in matters of Parliament: Asif

Minister says those against trial of civilians in military courts 'have political interests'

ISLAMABAD:

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that the judiciary must be stopped from “further interfering in the Parliament”, adding that it has already interfered enough with the powers of the house.

The minister made the remarks during the session of the National Assembly under the chairmanship of Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf.

He said that the matter of the trial of civilians in military courts has been taken to the Supreme Court, adding that during the previous regime, 24 to 25 people were sentenced by military courts.

“The SC bench has split, but the results will come out today or tomorrow,” he stated.

Read Divide in judiciary: Have senior most SC judges switched roles?

Asif also said that the people who have raised this issue have political interests, adding that the petitioners have reservations with their respective parties.

Talking about the May 9 violence, wherein sensitive state institutions and memorials of martyrs were attacked, he maintained that “such crimes are not found in our history, the state cannot afford such crimes."

The comments by the minister come as the top court hears please against the trial of alleged May 9 rioters in military courts, a day after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial formed a nine-member larger bench to hear petitions filed by former CJP Jawad S Khawaja and others.

The defence minister also said that one should not stake the honor and dignity of the country for political purposes. He also said that a person should leave a legacy so that people remember him in good words.

Asif further said that those who are sacrificing their lives for our country are our benefactors.

“I appeal to the house to protect our honour, the message should go out from this house that we will not compromise our honour,” he added.

The defense minister said that it is not known whether anyone has been tried in military courts for this crime but it is known that some people will be tried in military courts. He also said that apparently on May 9 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief encouraged those who were seen as political workers to spread violence.

Read More Top court faces its defining moment

He reiterated that it is shameful to even talk about what was done with the memorials of the martyrs, adding that the attackers of General Head Quarters (GHQ) have been identified, however, some are still at large.

The speaker then made his remarks and said that there is a risk of conflict in the Akhtar Jan Mengal area in Balochistan. He then directed the defense minister to contact the relevant authorities and intervene in this matter to stop the conflict.

Asif replied that he will contact the relevant authorities and will issue instructions to look into the matter immediately. He also assured that he will try to stop the conflict in this matter.