The Supreme Court has refused to entertain the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman’s constitutional petition challenging the trial in military courts of civilians accused of the May 9 attacks on military installations.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the PTI chairman challenged the invoking of Article 245 in the Supreme Court (SC).

Under Article 245, the army can be called in to aid the civil administration.

According to the sources, PTI head named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others as respondents.

In his petition, he said the arrests, investigations, and trials of citizens under the Army Act 1952 were “unconstitutional” and amounts to negation of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary.

He contended that the “dismantling of PTI through forcible quitting of party membership and office are unconstitutional and void being against Article 17 of the Constitution”.

The sources further stated that the PTI chairman urged the SC to order the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9 and 10.

However, the SC registrar's office returned the petition after raising objections.

The office stated that the petition did not state which public interest was involved. The petition did not include satisfactory points regarding the application of Article 184(3).

The other objection was raised that the notices issued by the petitioner do not explain the case.

It maintained that the petitioner did not approach any other forum before filing the case to the apex court.

“Under Article 248, Prime Minister and Chief Minister cannot be made a party,” it stated.

It further stated more than one request is made in one application.

 

Reporter: Waqas Azeem