Islamabad:
The federal government began consultations on legislation to grant ordinary citizens the right to appeal against trials before the military courts, revealed reliable sources.
On May 7, 2025, a constitutional bench of seven members of the Supreme Court, in a majority verdict, confirmed the military trials of those accused in the affairs of May 9 and also restored the relevant provisions of the Pakistani army law, 1952 – of the provisions which had been speed victims by a bench of SC in October 2023.
The Court’s decision also declared that the Parliament must legislate within 45 days to ensure that ordinary citizens confronted with Courtic procedures are authorized to appeal freely before the high courts.
Former Pakistan Chief Jawwad S Khawaja, who also left in the main case, subsequently filed a request against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, arguing that no legislation had been adopted to grant the right of appeal to violation of the court order.
A very reliable source told L’Express PK Press Club that the government had now launched consultations to provide the right of appeal to civilians sentenced by military courts.
According to sources, after the consultation process, a bill will be presented to give the right to appeal before the high lessons. The power coalition now has a majority of two thirds in Parliament.
Civil and military leaders of the country decided to return cases of more than 100 people who would have taken an active part in attacking military facilities following the first arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the premises of the High Court of Islamabad (CIH) on May 9, 2023.
The PTI and a number of other petitioners, including former CJP Khawaja, approached the Supreme Court against the civil trials in the military courts and a full courtyard on October 23, 2023 not only declared these illegal trials by a majority vote, but also canceled certain provisions of the law of the Pakistani army, 1952.
