Right activists jumps into military courts fray

Approach Supreme Court to become party in a petition challenging court martial of May 9 rioters

ISLAMABAD:

Some women rights activists have approached the top court for becoming a party in a petition filed against the trial of May 9 rioters in military courts under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.

Constitutional Petition 26 of 2023 was filed on June 10 by some members of civil society. The petitioner had challenged the trial of civilians—allegedly involved in attacks on civil and military properties and memorials on May 9—by military courts and requested the Supreme Court to declare these trials as “void ab initio and of no legal effect”.

On Thursday, some women rights activists filed an intervener application, requesting the court to implead them as petitioner in the petition. The application has been filed by five female activists.

Nighat Said Khan is the founding member of the Women Action Forum (WAF); Farida Shaheed is a sociologist and human rights activist; Neelam Hussain is a founding member of the Joint Action Committee Lahore; Maryam Hussain is a human rights activist and Maheen Pracha, who is a senior manager of research and communication at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

“These public spirited citizens also desire to challenge the court-martial/military trials of civilians as such court-martial/military trials of civilians are a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under, inter alia, Articles 10-A, 14, and 25, Constitution, 1973,” it said.

A six-member larger bench of the Supreme Court is hearing a slew of petitions filed against the court martial of civilians who allegedly attacked and vandalized various state and military installations on May 9.

The country’s civil and military leaders on May 16 endorsed a decision of corps commanders to hold trial of the people who engaged in these acts of vandalism after arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on May 9 under the Pakistan Army Act 1952 and the Officials Secrets Act, 1923.

Later, the civilian authorities handed over dozens of peoples—mostly the PTI workers and supporters who were rounded up during a massive crackdown—to the military authorities for their trial.