Nowhere | Pakistan

• Justice Mandokhail issues 36-page dissenting note against majority decision to uphold civilians’ military trial • Regrets govt opted to burden military courts instead of improving judicial system ISLAMABAD: Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Friday issued a 36-page dissenting note challenging the majority verdict that upheld the trial of civilians in military courts and raising questions about the use of military courts for civilian cases. “Nowhere in the world, courts martial try terrorism-related cases,” said Justice Mandokhail, a member of the seven-judge constitutional bench, in the dissenting note. Justice Mandokhail and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, in a minority judgement on May 7, set aside intra-court appeals against the Oct 23, 2023, five-judge judgement that had declared the military trials of civilians illegal. While brushing aside the perception that civil courts had failed to tackle the menace of terrorism and courts martial were the only solution to th...