The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed deep unease over the Pakistani military court's conviction of civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In the wake of Khan's ouster, the military tribunal convicted dozens of civilians who participated in protests, for reasons of national security. Both countries have called on Pakistan to comply with international human rights norms and facilitate equal opportunities to the accused for a fair and just trial. The critics claim that military courts ought not to exercise jurisdiction over civilians because doing so compromises the independence of the judiciary and the democratic ethos.
These convictions were as a result of protests in May 2023, where supporters of Imran Khan fought against security forces after he was arrested on corruption charges. Military trials have been considered as a further intensification of Pakistan's internal strife with respect to politics, leading to the heightened anxiety over human rights violation in the country. The US and the UK have been quite strong in their demands of Pakistan to respect civil liberties and the restoration of the rule of law. In this particular regard, the US State Department has also been stressing on the need to afford all citizens without discrimination to engage in lawful activities free of politically motivated persecution.
Human Rights Watch has also joined the concern saying that the Pak military court system lacks the due process and fairness that is needed in proper legal institutions. There have been appeals from international monitors that those tried within the military systems should be set free. The world continues to observe these developments, and Pakistan is being increasingly chided to rethink how it manages political dissent and how it serves fundamental freedoms. The sustainment of its democratic process in future will depend on reactions of the government to such criticism.
