Pak federal government justifies military trials of civilians

Defending its decision of military trials of civilians, involved in incidents of violence and vandalism targeted at military installations and government buildings, the federal government of Pakistan has termed them as a direct attack on the national security of the country, reported The Nation. The federal government claimed on Monday that acts of violence against the armed forces and vandalism against military installations harmed Pakistan’s security, interests, and defence since they directly threatened the country’s national security. On behalf of the federal government, Mansoor Usman Awan, the attorney general of Pakistan, filed a response to the petitions objecting to the trials of civilians in military courts and pleaded for their dismissal. He claimed that the episodes of May 9, 2023, entail planned and coordinated targeted attacks on numerous military stations and establishments around the country. The attacks weren’t specific to one area or isolated, as per The Nation. The Nation is a leading daily newspaper based in Lahore, Pakistan. According to him, the events of May 9 point to a planned and intentional effort to weaken the country’s armed forces and impede domestic security as numerous military facilities were simultaneously targeted. It also stated that on that date, 62 violent incidents were reported in Punjab alone, injuring almost 250 individuals, including 184 members of the law enforcement community. 139 vehicles in all, including 98 government vehicles, suffered partial or total damage.