Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday gave conditional permission to military courts to pronounce verdicts in the cases of May 9 suspects who could be released before the upcoming Eid festival. The case pertains to the trial of 103 civilians for their alleged involvement in attacks on military installations during the violence that broke out in the country on May 9 last year following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. A six-member bench of the court heard the appeal on October 23, 2023, against its earlier unanimous decision to cancel military courts' trials against civilians over the violence. The bench comprised Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Azhar Hasan Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Musart Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan. A five-member bench comprising Justice Ijajul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Syed Mazar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Ayesha Malik had unanimously ruled that trying accused civilians in military courts is against the country's Constitution. The bench had also said that accused civilians should be tried in criminal courts. The court, by a 5-1 majority, suspended the verdict on December 13 last year pending a decision on the appeal. The appeals were filed by the then caretaker federal government and the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab as well as the Defense Ministry. The court, during the last hearing on March 25, had asked the authorities to provide details about the military's prosecution of civilians for their alleged involvement in violent incidents. The court had ordered it to inform how many suspects could be acquitted, with all details to be submitted by March 28. The Attorney General told the court that around 20 suspects could be released after completion of their trial and other formalities including relaxation in sentence by the Army Chief. Hundreds of workers and leaders of Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were arrested in connection with the violence. Those allegedly involved in attacks on military installations were tried in military courts.

Pakistan s Military Courts Got Permission To Give Conditional Verdict In The May 9 Violence Case