The military courts’ tenure ended on January 7, 2019, and the government has stepped up efforts to extend their life for two further years. Last time, in 2017, the PPP initially opposed the extension in tenure but eventually supported the PML-N-moved amendment. Its Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has publicly opposed any extension in the tenure of army-run courts. Bilawal had said he would vehemently oppose the extension of military courts as he had chided parliament for its role in renewing the courts’ tenure. “The military courts have awarded 345 convicts death sentences while 296 have been handed various sentences,” the spokesperson had said.

Source: Pakistan Today January 12, 2019 16:38 UTC