The Supreme Court postponed hearing challenges contesting the legitimacy of civilians’ prosecutions in military tribunals indefinitely.
During the hearing, which was presided over by Justice Aminuddin, a seven-member bench, the court gave Khawaja Haris permission to make arguments on behalf of the Ministry of Defense.
The Pakistani attorney general told the court that today would be a meeting day for the relatives of the accused detained in military custody. Judge Aminuddin asked what legal rules could be contested in this situation, pointing out that the lawsuit seemed to be based on the events of May 9, 2023.
Attorney Faisal Siddiqui submitted a miscellaneous request, asking that the government should not be represented by a private attorney. Siddiqui attended the hearing via video link. Before letting Khawaja Haris continue with his arguments, Siddiqui implored the court to consider his motion because, in the absence of action, it would become useless.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, however, made clear that it was not unusual for a private attorney to represent the government in court.
