Islamabad : The Pakistan government in a meeting to review implementation of the anti-terror National Action Plan (NAP) Tuesday decided to extend the jurisdiction of special courts to Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistani Kashmir.
The high-level meeting at the Prime Minister House here approved that Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistani Kashmir councils would also adopt the 21st Constitutional Amendment as well as the amendment to the Army Act, 1952, to facilitate formation of military courts in those areas, Dawn online reported.
Sharif was also briefed on legislative and administrative measures as well as the progress on sub-committees regarding implementation of the NAP.
The NAP was drafted in the wake of the Dec 16 Peshawar school attack to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism.
As part of the NAP, it was also decided to set up military courts in the country to try terror suspects.
In December 2014, political parties reached a consensus on the establishment of military courts after several rounds of a multi-party conference which was also attended by the country’s military leadership.
In order to provide constitutional cover to the establishment of military courts, the parliament then adopted the 21st Constitutional Amendment Bill and the the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2015.
Last week, the Pakistan Army announced the establishment of the first group of nine military courts.
“We are taking all steps necessary to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan’s soil,” Prime Minister Sharif told the meeting Tuesday.
Sharif made it clear that there was no room for terrorism or terrorists in the society.
He also said that the government was determined not to be at ease until the last terrorist was eliminated from the country.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Attorney General Salman Butt, Law Secretary Barrister Zafarullah, Federal Secretary for Ministry of Interior Shahid Khan and National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) Coordinator Hamid Ali Khan were also present in the meeting.