May 9 protests: 27 convicts challenge military court sentences

PESHAWAR: Around 27 people convicted by the Field General Court-Martial in connection with the May 9 protests against the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan have filed appeals against their sentences.

The convicts, accused of attacking military installations during the protests, submitted their appeals through senior lawyers Qazi Anwar Advocate and Barrister Sarwar Muzaffar Shah to the Court of Appeal.

The appeals argued that the trials conducted in military courts were flawed and lacked adherence to legal procedures.

According to the petitions, the accused were not given adequate opportunities to present their defence, and constitutional guarantees for a fair trial were violated. The appellants contended that the trials failed to meet the standards of justice outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan.

The appeals also challenged the jurisdiction of military courts over civilians, terming the trials unconstitutional and illegal.

They claimed that the appellants were deprived of fundamental rights during the proceedings and were sentenced under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, despite being civilians.

The appellants argued that no substantial evidence was presented against them and that the punishments were politically motivated because of their affiliation with PTI. They asserted that the amendments to the Army Act invoked during the proceedings did not apply to their cases.