Did any army officer face trial over 'security breach' of Jinnah House on May 9? asks SC

The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench, led by Justice Ameenuddin Khan, resumed hearings on the intra-court appeal challenging the trial of civilians in military courts. The court raised questions regarding the jurisdiction of the Army Act during the proceedings.

On Tuesday, the seven-member bench listened to arguments from Defence Minister’s lawyer, Khawaja Haris, who stated that civilian trials in military courts were 'not unprecedented,' citing laws dating back to 1967.

He pointed out that civilians had previously faced military trials, such as in the FB Ali case, when individuals were tried under the Army Act for interfering in military affairs.

Justice Hassan Azhar countered, reminding Haris that the FB Ali case occurred during a period of "civil martial law." He also inquired about the mastermind behind the May 9 attack, to which Haris replied that the planner would also face military trial.

Justice Azhar further asked, 'Did any Army officer face trial over security breach of the Corp Commander House?. He further noted that the storming of the Lahore Corps Commander’s House was a "security breach."

He questioned whether the army had failed to take proper action to prevent damage to military installations, despite not being required to open fire on protesters.

Haris defended the army’s actions, stating that while protesters had been charged with damaging military property, no army officers were held responsible as no lives were lost and the military handled the situation with restraint.

After hearing the arguments, the court suspended the hearing until the next day.