Pakistan’s Supreme Court allows civilians to be tried by military

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that civilians could be tried in military courts, overturning an earlier ruling by the apex court.

More than 100 civilians were tried in military courts after riots erupted in support of ex-prime minister Imran Khan when he was arrested in 2023.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that it was unconstitutional, but a new judgement on Wednesday upheld an appeal by the defence ministry.

The government said 39 military installations in all four provinces of the country were attacked during the riots.

Some convicts have received sentences of up to 10 years in prison.

Khan remains in jail accused of graft, after several other convictions that kept him behind bars during last year’s election were overturned.

“The purpose of military law is to maintain discipline within the armed forces. It was never designed to be applied to civilians,” a spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.