Pakistan starts process of establishing military-led courts to try militants

Pakistan has started the process of establishing military-led special courts for the hearing of speedy trial of the terrorism-related cases, the army said late Friday.

The parliament on Tuesday approved establishment of the courts through a constitutional amendment to try "hard-core terrorists."

The government toughened anti-terror laws following Taliban's brutal killing of 140 schoolchildren and 10 of their teachers in an attack on an army-run school in Peshawar city on Dec. 16.

"The process of establishing military courts has been initiated, " an army statement said.

Initially, nine courts are being established across the country, the statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

Three courts each will be established in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is the most terrorism-affected region, and eastern Punjab province.

Two courts will function in southern Sindh and one in southwestern Balochistan province.

These courts will start functioning soon, the military statement said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told leaders of mainstream political parties that the courts are being set up in view of a delay of terrorism-related cases in the normal courts.

The National Assembly and the Senate this week approved the courts with a vast majority vote.

Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan told a high level meeting the four provinces have been asked to devise a multi-faceted scrutiny process for the special courts which will further be fine- tuned by the Interior Ministry before forwarding these cases to the Ministry of Defense.

"At the moment, MoI (Ministry of Interior) is engaged with the provincial governments and military authorities to evolve a system as mandated by the 21st Constitutional Amendment," he said. However, the number and scope of cases to be referred to the special courts and the level and stages of scrutiny in this regard are still being worked out. Endi