Legal Backlash Erupts as Court Greenlights Civilian Trials in Military Courts
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Salman Akram Raja has strongly condemned a recent court decision allowing military officers to conduct trials of civilians, calling it a direct attack on the Constitution of Pakistan. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Raja expressed grave concern over what he termed a dark day for constitutional law and civilian rights in the country.
He emphasized that Article 175(3) of the Constitution stands as a cornerstone of judicial independence, and that a five-member bench had already declared such military trials unconstitutional in October 2023. “Today’s verdict has effectively dismantled the very architecture of our constitutional protections,” he said. “It is a tragic day for the rule of law.”
Salman Akram Raja stressed that even during British colonial rule, such provisions did not exist in the Army Act, and noted that civilian trials by military courts are not permitted even in neighboring India. “This decision has erased decades of legal progress and represents a return to authoritarian mechanisms,” he added.
He concluded by honoring those who resist unconstitutional moves, saying, “We take pride in those who stand firm against tyranny, even in the face of institutional power.”