Military courts’ verdicts under Pakistani law: FO

ISLAMABAD: In response to international criticism on recent verdicts by military courts, the Foreign Office has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to fulfilling all its international human rights obligations, saying that the verdicts had been made under a law enacted by the Parliament of Pakistan and in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In a statement on Tuesday, FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “Pakistan’s legal system is consistent with international human rights law including provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”

She added that the country’s legal system had remedies of judicial review by the superior courts and guaranteed the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The statement added that Pakistan believed in constructive and productive dialogue to promote principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

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“We remain fully committed to implementing our commitments under the Generalised Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+) and other core international human rights conventions,” the spokesperson said, adding, “We will continue to engage with our international partners including the European Union (EU) to uphold the international human rights law, without any discrimination and double standards”.

On Monday, US, UK, and EU criticised Pakistan’s military courts over the sentencing of 25 civilians in connection with attacks on military facilities in 2023 after the arrest of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.

Military courts sentenced civilians to periods of two to 10 years in a ruling that underscored concerns among Khan’s supporters that military courts will play a bigger role in cases related to the former leader.

Washington “is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023,” the US State Department said.

The British government’s foreign office added that “trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial.”

The European Union said the sentences were “inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”