LONDON: The British Government has raised its concerns over Pakistan’s sentencing 25 civilians in military courts, asking Pakistan to honor commitments under ICCPR.
In a statement, the Britain Foreign Office acknowledged Pakistan’s sovereignty but raised issues about the lack of transparency and fairness in the trials.
It urged Pakistan to honor its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees fair trials.
Earlier, the European Union also criticised these verdicts, calling them unjust and against the ICCPR.
It is worthy to be mentioned here that the European Union (EU) spokesperson highlighted that under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, have voluntarily committed to effectively implementing 27 core international conventions, including the ICCPR, to retain their GSP+ status.
Separately, at a press conference in Peshawar, PTI Central Information Secretary Waqas Akram echoed these concerns, stating that military trials violate both international and domestic laws.
He emphasised that the EU spokesperson’s concerns are “serious” and align with the PTI’s stance, expressed immediately after the news broke.
On Dec 20, Pakistan’s military courts sentenced 25 individuals involved in the May 9 events to 2–10 years of rigorous imprisonment for actions against state institutions.
Read more: Convicts Involved in May 9 Incident Transferred to Kot Lakhpat Jail
