Islamabad - Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor on Friday maintained that the military courts are not working on the army’s wish, but are needed by the country.
In an interview with a private TV channel on Friday night, Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor said there was a wave of terrorism in the country but the criminal justice system was not quite effective in dealing with such cases and military courts were established after the parliament unanimously approved them.
He said that the country’s criminal justice system has failed to punish the terrorists.
“Within four years, military courts had 717 cases, out of which 646 were logically concluded. 345 terrorists were given death sentences,” said the DG ISPR.
He said that the extension in the courts was of two years and they will continue if the parliament backs the extension, adding that the courts created fear among terrorists. “The decision on military courts’ extension rests with the parliament,” he added.
He said lawmakers can decide on the fate of military courts “keeping in view the current situation and their impact”. “We will do what parliament tells us,” he said, adding that even previous two extensions to military courts were given by the public representatives, and the decision has to be taken with consensus.
Whenever the army chief confirms a death sentence, then the convict appeals to the president and if he is not pardoned then these cases go to civil courts at times, said the DG ISPR.
Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor said that after the establishment of military courts there was a prominent decline in terrorism incidents in the country. He said the system of military courts is transparent.
Asif Ghafor said due to the formation of military courts now terrorist and their organisations were more afraid of punishment.