Dawood Ahmed:
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday declared the trial of civilians in military court null and void.
Civilians were arrested under the Army Act, 1952 following incidents of rioting and vandalism following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 this year.
A five-member bench, led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan, heard the case. Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Mazahir Naqvi, and Justice Ayesha Malik were part of the bench.
As the hearing commenced earlier today, Jawad S. Khawaja’s lawyer, Ahmed Hussain, expressed his intention to read the order from the previous hearing. However, the judge reminded him that during the last session, the attorney general had presented his arguments and suggested allowing him to conclude his case before proceeding with other matters.
Lawyer Salman Akram Raja also argued that the military courts have started the trial of civilians despite giving assurances in the court but Justice Ahsan directed him to listen to the attorney general first.