Govt, opposition discuss extension to military courts

ISLAMABAD: Efforts have been expedited to reach a consensus on the final draft of the constitutional amendment bill for an extension in the tenure of military courts.

The parliamentarians from the government and opposition sides met in the chamber of the Speaker Asad Qaisar to ponder over an extension in the period of military courts, which is ending during the month of March.

The sources said during the meeting, it was agreed that both the government and opposition would constitute separate committees to come up with recommendations or draft of the bill. The sources said the parliamentarians from the two sides acknowledged that the military courts had been helpful in curbing the menace of terrorism and acted as an effective tool for improvement of law and order situation in the country.

Law Minister Senator Farogh Nasim said that extension in the tenure of military courts was vital in order to take terrorists to task. However, he said as it would require two thirds of the total strength of the National Assembly, a single party or the government could not do the job alone.

The meeting chaired by the Speaker Asad Qaisar was attended by Law Minister Farogh Nasim, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan and Syed Naveed Qamar, Maulana Abdul Wasay, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Rana Tanveer Hussain and others.