SC orders provision of military court record to lawyer

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the public prosecutor to provide the trial court record to the counsel for criminals who were convicted by the military court and awarded death sentences for attacking the forces.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the appeals filed by persons convicted in 2017, including Zia-ul-Haq, Mohammad Imran, Hafiz Usman, Haider and Nazir Ahmed.

The court declared that all the cases of the persons convicted by the military court would be heard together.

During the hearing, the petitioners’ lawyer requested that they should be allowed to see the record of the trial. The government lawyer, however, submitted that according to the law, the record of the court martial could not be provided. Justice Mandokhail questioned as to how a lawyer can fight a case without seeing the records. “Let the counsel for the petitioners see the record and take notice,” he said.

The government lawyer submitted that he would inform the court by taking instructions.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.

As per the case, the military court had sentenced the convicts to death for attacking the forces. The appellate court and the Balochistan High Court had upheld the death sentences awarded to the criminals.