More light to be shed on judicial review of military courts in Pakistan

Dawn reports here on the latest developments concerning Pakistani Supreme Court review of military courts authorized earlier this year by the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.

The Supreme Court is likely to explain what it meant by judicial review against the military court convictions which it held in a majority judgment while dismissing challenges against the 21st Amendment. A bench of the apex court is expected to consider the issue raised in a petition filed by the wife of a convict who was sentenced to death by a military court.

The petition, moved by Saleh Bibi, mother of five minor children, was earlier returned by the Supreme Court office on the grounds that she had approached the court directly instead of going through an appropriate forum. But it now stands cleared to be fixed for hearing by a bench.

“Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard the matter in his chambers and after removing the objections ordered that the case be fixed before a bench of the court next week,” Advocate on Record Chaudhry Akhtar Ali told Dawn. Rights activist Asma Jehangir appeared before the judge on behalf of Saleh Bibi.

The Registrar's Office had raised objections to the latest constitutional petition, but these were overruled by Justice Nisar, according to this report.

The 21st Amendment is scheduled to sunset in early 2017. Unless it is extended . . .