LAHORE, Feb 1: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan criticized the government decision on Friday to include army officers in anti-terrorism courts, saying this violated the established principles of justice in the country.

Reacting to the decision, the HRCP said it had added a new and serious hurdle in the way of restoring meaningful democracy and just dispensation in the country.

“The courts being set up are, in the first place, violative of the principle of separation of the judiciary from the executive and as such the country’s constitution. Their establishment also runs contrary to the Supreme Court judgment against the setting up of a parallel legal system and in fact extends military involvement in a critical civil area with deep and potentially alarming repercussions for the system of justice,” the HRCP statement said.

It said the HRCP believed that the decision had created grave apprehensions about the future political and judicial structure in the country. It seemed clear that the regime planned to institutionalise the role of military in public and private affairs and as such make it a permanent part of the system. “This, in fact, strengthens the apprehensions that the regime plans to restructure all basic state institutions in a manner that will make restoration of democracy impossible.”

The statement read: “If it is to demonstrate a true commitment to democratic principles, the regime must, in fact, relinquish the control it has over all institutions of state rather than acting to strengthen it in a manner that can only inflict even more damage on the system than the 8th amendment of Gen Ziaul Haq, the ill-effects of which continue to be felt well over a decade later.” — Staff Reporter