ISLAMABAD: The federal government decided on Tuesday to extend the jurisdiction of the newly-constituted military courts to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

“It was approved that the GB and AJK councils would also adopt the 21st Constitutional Amendment as well as the amendment in the Army Act, to facilitate the formation of military courts in those areas,” read a press statement issued after the conclusion of a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif regarding the implementation of the National Action Plan to counter terrorism and extremism.

Asked if there were any legal lacunas involved in extending the ambit of the controversial constitutional amendment to AJK and GB, retired Justice Tariq Mehmood said that there did not seem to be any hitches in the process. The GB and AJK councils, which are headed by the prime minister, can order such action, said PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, but the measure must be approved by the legislative assembly of each territory.

The PPP, which runs the government in AJK, has already agreed to go along with the amendment. In the GB, as the federal government is running the show through a presidential order, the extension of military courts isn’t an issue, said a government official.

A senior opposition lawmaker and critic of the ruling party said the main issue was whether to have such a controversial constitutional measure in place or not. Once the legal requirements had been fulfilled, enforcing it in AJK and GB was just an administrative matter.

Since the federal government controls AJK and GB through a ministry, all it has to do is issue a notice by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The PM was briefed on legislative and administrative measures, as well as the progress of sub-committees regarding the implementation of the National Action Plan, according to a press release. “All necessary steps are being taken to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan’s soil,” the PM was quoted as saying by a spokesman. 

In the meeting, the PM was told that since Dec 23, 164 cases had been registered and 157 persons arrested over the use of hate speech and spread of inciteful material in Islamabad and Punjab alone. Moreover, 40 printing presses and shops had been sealed, but the press release didn’t carry any detail of the arrests.

For the misuse of loudspeakers, 1,994 cases have been registered and 1,088 individuals have been arrested in Islamabad and Punjab, while Information from other provinces is still awaited.

“The PM is personally supervising progress on the holistic and speedy implementation of the National Action Plan and another meeting would be called over the next few days to review progress on all 20 points of the action plan,” the spokesman said.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the PM’s special adviser, Barrister Zafarullah, and political secretary Dr Asif Kirmani attended the meeting, along with the interior secretary, attorney general and the Nacta national coordinator.

Published in Dawn January 14th , 2015

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