LAHORE, Feb 9: Military officers have been inducted into special courts because judges asked for army cover while hearing cases involving sectarian groups, said federal communication and railways minister Javed Ashraf Qazi.

Responding to a question about lawyers’ protest over the issue raised at a seminar here on Saturday, he said special courts could not deliver for fear of aggression by sectarian groups.

“The situation left the government with no option but to appoint army officers to the courts or set up full military courts for cases of sectarian nature.”

Qazi also claimed that the government didn’t do it unilaterally but got a nod from the supreme court before implementing the decision.

Federal law minister Shahida Jameel, told PTV last week that the Chief Justices Committee had gone through the draft law regarding the inclusion of army officers in Anti- Terrorism Courts before its promulgation.

Qazi, who is a former director-general, Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI), said the ISI had never gone beyond its mandate.

Terming it an Indian propaganda to defame the ISI, he said, two of the ISI DGs had been sacked for no other reason but for violating army discipline.

He also said army officers were deputed to the ISI for a three-year term, so there was no question of a certain group having a hold on it.

He also said no political cell was working permanently in the ISI. “When the political governments have assigned tasks to the ISI, it had to accomplish them.”

“When in power, politicians have enjoyed good relations with the ISI, but once they are out (of power) they start blaming it for their fall,” Qazi lamented.