Islamabad: The Pak National Assembly on Monday passed a resolution calling for swift action against the May 9 rioters under the Army Act, reported The Express Tribune.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif submitted the resolution, which demanded that the culprits of the May 9 events be prosecuted under the Army Act while respecting human rights.
The text of the resolution said that on May 9, a gang and its leaders broke all boundaries by conducting attacks on military installations, causing irreparable damage to state institutions and the country. As a result, the resolution urged that all such elements be dealt with in accordance with the law and the Constitution, as per a report published in The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune is an internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan.
It said that there should be no delay in taking action against the perpetrators and that even the party's workers and officials were distancing themselves from the events of May 9.
According to the resolution, no violations of human rights occurred during the action taken against the miscreants and criminals. The resolution also said that the military has the authority to respond to attacks on military installations around the world and that all people implicated should be punished for their conduct under the Pakistan Army Act of 1952. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated in the House that military installations would be targeted on May 9.
"Our system has been compromised. No new laws are being created against the culprits of May 9; the existing laws found in books are being utilised," as per The Express Tribune.
He also said that the cases pertaining to attacks on military installations are heard in military courts worldwide.
"We have not created any new law; rather, these laws already exist. Where there is terrorism, cases will be dealt with under anti-terrorism law," he added. He also added that instances that are intended to be heard under Article 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) will be handled appropriately. Those who targeted fighter jets and attacked the Bala Hisar Fort, on the other hand, will face charges under the Army Act. Maulana Abdul Kabir Chitrali, a Jamaat-e-Islami member, opposed civilians being tried in military courts, claiming that no one is above the law, not even the prime minister, army leader, or chief justice.
He questioned whether the government and judiciary had failed totally. "If that is the case, then send the cases to military courts, and if not, then proceed with the cases in civilian courts," he said, according to The Express Tribune.
He indicated that JI is opposed to the resolution's demand that cases be tried in military courts. Protesters purportedly affiliated with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vandalised public and private property and even stormed the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Lahore corps commander's mansion, popularly known as the Jinnah House in Lahore.
On the orders of the National Accountability Bureau, paramilitary Rangers personnel arrested the party chairman, Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, later renamed the 190 million Pounds National Crime Agency scandal, from the Islamabad High Court premises.
Following the crackdown, numerous senior PTI leaders were jailed, and many disavowed the party.
So far, many prominent PTI figures have broken with Imran, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Imran Ismail, Ali Zaidi, Amir Kiyani, Saifullah Nyazee, Fayyazul Hassan Chauhan, and Musarrat Jamshed Cheema.
A number of PTI candidates who were given PTI tickets for the Punjab Assembly elections also left the party after condemning the May 9 unrest and attacks on military installations, reported The Express Tribune. —ANI
