Civil-military trial: SC reserves verdict, decision to be announced this week

ISLAMABAD: Following months of hearings in the civil-military trial case, the Supreme Court has finally reserved the verdict which will be announced later this week.

The bench has been presiding over an appeal case against declaring the trial of civilians in military courts null and void. The seven-member constitutional bench headed by Justice Aminuddin has been hearing the case, and includes Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shahid Bilal.

The SC resumed hearing on military trials of civilians amid May 9 debate with Attorney General Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan presenting his concluding arguments.

Awan vigorously defended the government’s stance, describing the violent protests of May 9, 2023 — triggered by the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan — as “criminal acts” that warranted exceptional legal response. He told the court that the violent unrest was unprecedented in scale and nature: “From 3pm till evening on May 9, coordinated attacks took place at 39 different locations across the country,” he said, stressing that the state had not witnessed such events even during the most repressive phases of its history.