The parliament could not adopt two bills today that would legalise trials before military courts after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) rejected the bills tabled by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The PML-N had tabled the 28th Constitutional Amendment Bill and the Army Act Amendment Bill 2017 in the National Assembly for input from all political parties.
Read: National Assembly to legalise trials before military courts
The PPP a day earlier rubbished reports it had agreed to a two-year extension for military courts. A government spokesman said the party had also retracted its demand for a sessions judge in the military courts.
"The PPP totally and roundly rejects any statement purportedly issued by any official agency creating a false and erroneous impression of the PPP having agreed to the draft proposals of the government," PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said in a statement.
Military courts in Pakistan have been accused of fostering human rights abuses and criticised for a lack of transparency and accountability. They had ceased to function after expiry of tenure earlier this year.
Military trials of terrorism suspects were legalised in January 2015 with lawmakers and the military arguing that civilian courts were unable to process cases swiftly because many judges feared becoming victims of revenge attacks.
The courts have since delivered 275 convictions, including 161 death sentences, and carried out 12 executions. These courts do not allow the right to appeal and judges are not required to have law degrees or provide reasons for their verdicts.