The news that has caught my attention today happens to be related to the so-called Rights Activist Asma Jahangir. She has approached the Supreme Court against a December 9, 2015 Peshawar High Court verdict upholding a sentence of life imprisonment awarded by a military court in a case of terrorism.
The petition has been filed on behalf of Sher Alam, uncle of Jamilur Rehman who was taken into custody by security personnel in 2014 but his detention was not acknowledged. Recently a military court found him guilty, and his sentence was confirmed by the Army Chief.
The so-called Human Activists have not been happy over the introduction of Military Courts for the simple reason that this swift system of justice has largely rendered the beneficiaries of the prolonged proceedings of normal prosecution totally ineffective. It goes without saying that the biggest beneficiaries of the normal criminal justice are the lawyers of this country.
They make their millions by dragging the cases for years and thus rendering the purpose of justice meaningless.
We are living in abnormal environment in which we have to fight terrorism and crime with every available means. The military courts are a befitting response to a crucial challenge.