Pakistan legislators approve military courts for terrorism

Pakistan’s lower house of parliament has approved the establishment of military courts to hear terrorism-related cases, after a Taliban massacre at a military-run school in the northwest shocked the nation. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced the plan after militants gunned down 134 children and 16 adults at the Peshawar school last month. He also ended a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in terror cases, and several people have since gone to the gallows. Members of the main opposition joined the ruling party Tuesday to pass the measure, which now goes to the upper house.

The bitter pill of this new law is being swallowed for the security of Pakistan.

Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, opposition leader in the lower house

The measure was approved after 247 legislators – more than a two-thirds majority – voted to amend the constitution to allow for military courts to be set up. Members of the Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazal group) abstained. JUI (F) chief Fazalur Rehman told reporters at parliament he had abstained because, “after 9/11 Muslims were being targeted and the same thing is being done in the name of constitutional amendment”. The leading English-language newspaper Dawn termed it a “sad day” in an editorial Tuesday.

Asia-Pacific Pakistan