ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar of the Supreme Court stated that civilians would not be subject to a military trial for just being close to an army checkpoint, but they would undoubtedly be if they had committed an offense specified in the Army Act.
The statement was made when a constitutional bench was considering appeals against rulings permitting civilian trials in military courts. While it is still unclear if civilians can be tried in military tribunals, it was a response to Justice Musarrat Hilali’s concerns about the “extension of powers” to try civilians under the Army Act.
The Ministry of Defence’s Khawaja Haris said throughout the proceedings that the supreme court had already decided that civilians might be court-martialed in certain situations.
