In a bid to address the issue of civilians engaged in attacking military installations, vandalizing Jinnah House, and defaming the armed forces as part of an alleged international agenda, the Pakistani establishment is contemplating the establishment of three military courts. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that these courts would operate under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secret Act.
According to the sources, the military courts would be established under Chapter 9 of the Pakistan Army Act, which was amended through the 21st amendment in 2015, following the tragic Army Public School massacre. The National Assembly of Pakistan approved the bill on January 6, 2015, enabling the establishment of special military courts for the trial of civilians suspected of terrorism.
Special Public Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi explained that the 21st amendment brought about several changes to at least four clauses of the Pakistan Army Act, allowing for the specific provision of special military courts to try civilians involved in anti-state activities. The act itself had previously been amended in 1967, 1977, and 1998.
Under the proposed military courts, civilians involved in enticing or seducing members of all three branches of the armed forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and those found guilty of violating the Official Secret Act would face legal consequences, stated Abbasi.
The initiation of the plan can be traced back to an FIR (First Information Report) filed with the Shalimar police station, registered under Section 331 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) by Ray Tanvir Ahmad on October 1, 2020. The FIR alleged that Hasan Askari, a resident of F-11/4, Islamabad, had written letters to senior members of the armed forces, attempting to incite sedition, create hatred, contempt, disaffection, and disloyalty, and imply collective insubordination and resistance against the army’s chain of command. The FIR further accused Hasan of using derogatory language against senior military leaders and command.
Investigations into the matter have reportedly gathered substantial evidence against the individuals involved, leveraging techniques like geofencing to identify their identities and locations at various insurgency-prone sites. These findings suggest the involvement of specific radical groups assigned targets by party leadership. The investigators have also apprehended the culprits and identified them through video footage showing PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) leaders inciting the attackers.
A separate list of men and women involved in anti-state activities has been forwarded to the JAG (Judge Advocate General) Branch, which operates under the Directorate of Army, for determining the legal procedures of their trial in the special military courts. The sources indicated that individuals involved in violating the Official Secret Act would be brought before regular courts within the next 10 days.