LAHORE: Senators Aitzaz Ahsan and Mir Hasil Bizenjo have justified establishment of military courts for different reasons.

“For the first time it seems that the establishment has decided to eliminate extremism from the country. After that all the political parties trusted the army and agreed on setting up the military courts,” Bizenjo said at a ceremony in connection with translation of a book on Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at Alhamra on Saturday. The book is written by Patrick Kinross and translated into Urdu “Ataturk – Qaum Aur Jamhooria Ka Zahoor” by Huma Anwer. Farrukh Sohail Goindi has written its foreword.

Senator Bizenjo said time had come to decide whether to hand over the country to extremists or to rid it of them.

“Defeat of the religious extremists is a victory of democracy,” he said and cautioned if the mistakes made earlier wee repeated in dealing with such elements then they would rule the country. He further said Pakistan was the only country in the world that helped form illegal lashkar (private army) against itself.

In an apparent reference to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mr Bizenjo said: “When the mullah visits India he says weakening of secularism will create difficulties for the Muslims there. But in Pakistan, he links secularism to infidelity.”

PPP Senator Aitzaz Ahsan said the political forces had accepted the establishment of military courts with a heavy heart.

“The military courts have been established to try those fighting against Islam. The judges appointed under the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance get themselves transferred. Some five judges of high court have refused to hold the trial of Mumtaz Qadri (assassin of Punjab governor Salman Taseer). In such circumstances there is no option but to go for this step (military courts).”

Mr Ahsan said Sirajul Haq, Fazlur Rehman and Samiul Haq had endorsed military courts in the All-Party Conference but now they were opposing them.

“Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had proposed to get the signature of the participants of the APC on a proposed draft which I opposed. But we had no idea that these leaders would back off from their words,” he said.

Published in Dawn January 11th , 2014

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play