Military courts to be set up in AJK, GB

ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting to review the National Action Plan (NAP) to counter terrorism on Tuesday decided to establish military courts in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was held here at the PM House.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while addressing the meeting made it clear that the government would not rest till the elimination of terrorism from the country since any let-up in this regard would be tantamount to criminal negligence. He said there was no place for terrorists in the country.
The meeting is significant in the backdrop of the revelation by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan a day earlier about the lethargic attitude the provinces in the implementation of NAP except Punjab and lack of their coordination for the purpose. The meeting was also attended by the interior minister who briefed it regarding progress on the implementation of the plan. The meeting decided that the Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK councils would also adopt the 21st constitutional amendment as well as the amendment in the Army Act 1952 to facilitate formation of military courts in these areas.
The prime minister was also briefed on legislative and administrative measures as well as progress on sub-committees regarding implementation of the NAP. Chaudhry Nisar is heading most of the sub-committees. The NAP was drafted in the aftermath of the heinous attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar last month to evolve comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and elimination of extremism. Prime Minister Nawaz said that all necessary steps are being taken to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan’s soil.
The prime minister was informed that since December 23, 2014 in Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory, 164 cases have been registered against hate speech and material while 157 persons have been arrested. 40 printing presses and shops have also been sealed. On the misuse of loudspeakers, 1,994 cases have been registered and 1,088 persons have been arrested. Information from provinces other than Punjab is still awaited.
According to the PM House, the premier is personally supervising progress on the holistic and speedy implementation of the NAP and in the next few days another meeting would be called to review progress on all the 20 points of the plan.
Apart from Chaudhry Nisar, Special Adviser to PM Barrister Zafarullah; Political Secretary to PM Dr Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani, Secretary Interior Shahid Khan, Attorney General Salman Butt, Secretary to PM Javaid Aslam, Additional Secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad, Adviser to PM on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui and National Coordinator Nacta Hamad Ali Khan attended the meeting. Nawaz Sharif called an all parties conference (APC) on the following day of the gory incident of Peshawar and NAP was agreed by the participants of the APC and two more such conferences were held subsequently. The military leadership under Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif was also present on the occasion.
Decision was also taken to set up military courts to try terrorists for quick adjudication of their cases. Accordingly, nine courts are coming into being. The Parliament adopted the 21st constitutional amendment for provision of constitutional protection for establishing the military courts and the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 was accordingly amended.