Refusal of judges to hear cases against terrorists led to formation of military courts: Aitzaz Ahsan.

The refusal of judges to hear cases against terrorists has paved the way for establishment of military courts, said Senate Opposition Leader and Pakistan Peoples’ Party senior leader Aitzaz Ahsan while talking to journalist after offering Fateha on the demise of father of PPP district President Zaki Chaudhry on Saturday.

The PPP leader said that if the courts assure disposal of cases relating to terrorism within six weeks, he would personally go to the prime minister and request him to send the cases to anti-terrorist courts (ATC) instead of military courts.

He pointed out that five judges refused to hear the case of murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer against Mumtaz Qadri. He said this attitude of the judges forced the government to establish military courts.

He said that after supporting the 21st constitution amendment in the All Parties Conference, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Sirajul Haq should not have expressed their reservations. He said the two leaders not only supported the National Action Plan but also led the prayers for its success. After such a support, reservations are regrettable.

He said PPP supported the military courts as a bitter pill but said these courts would not be as powerful as in the past and hear only those cases that would be referred to the by the Federal government. He made it clear that no case would send to the military courts against any student, seminary or political party not involved in terrorist activity.

The Senate opposition leader said out of eight thousand cases before the ATCs, five hundred await executions after decisions on appeals. Appeals against rest of the cases are still under hearing.

Ahsan further said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairmen Imran Khan ended his sit-in in haste and that removed pressure from the government.

Regarding rigging in the elections, the PPP leader said there should be no doubt that there was wide spread electoral fraud. He said his wife Bushra Aitzaz contested from NA-124 and during recounting 107 bags were such where the stamps were defaced while 33 bags contained waste papers instead of votes. He said when the bags of NA-124 will be re-opened, cats would come out of them instead of tigers. He said he would release a whitepaper on rigging in NA-124 at a press conference in Lahore on Monday.

He conceded that the Sindh government has failed to control the drought situation in Thar where hundreds of innocent children have died. He said this should not have happened and the Sindh government should have acted rapidly.

link: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/01/18/city/lahore/judges-refusal-to-hear-terrorism-cases-led-to-formation-of-military-courts-aitzaz/