ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has called on the federal government and Parliament to pass legislation within 45 days to allow an independent right of appeal against convictions by military courts. The apex court stressed that this safeguard is essential to ensure due process and the constitutional right to a fair trial.

This directive came in a decision on a set of Intra-Court Appeals (ICAs) heard by a larger bench of the apex court under Section 5 of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023.

The appeals challenged the October 23, 2023 judgment in Constitution Petition No 24 of 2023 and related cases. In that ruling, a five-member bench (by a 4-1 majority) had declared certain provisions of the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 unconstitutional, and had barred the trial of civilians in

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