Pakistan knows the solution to its internal problems, no need for external intervention. Foreign Office Spokesperson

 Our constitution and courts have full capacity to resolve internal matters. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch's response to the statements of the European Union and others

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Islamabad (UrduPoint News International - 24th December, 2024) Pakistan has rejected the international reaction to the sentences given to citizens by military courts, stating that Pakistan knows the solution to its internal problems. The Pakistani nation will make decisions on Pakistan’s security. There is no need for any external intervention. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, responding to the European Union’s concerns regarding military courts, said that Pakistan’s constitution and courts have full capacity to resolve internal issues. The Pakistani nation knows how to resolve its internal problems and there is no need for any external intervention in this matter.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in unequivocal terms that Pakistan’s security decisions will be made by the Pakistani nation and will not allow any external pressure to have an impact. The Foreign Office Spokesperson termed the sanctions imposed by the US on Pakistan’s missile program as unnecessary and unfair, saying that the US sanctions will have no impact on Pakistan’s defense decisions. These measures cannot weaken Pakistan’s defense position.

He said that India has started the race for missile systems and nuclear technology in the region and the major powers should take strong measures against India to help stop this race. He said that Pakistan has faced various sanctions in the past but the country has always focused on its security and will continue to do so in the future.

On the other hand, a spokesperson for the US State Department said in a statement that the US is deeply concerned about the sentencing of citizens by military courts in Pakistan. The statement issued on the State Department website said that the US is deeply concerned that a military tribunal has sentenced Pakistani citizens for their involvement in the protests on May 9, 2023.

The statement said that the military courts lack guarantees of judicial independence, transparency and due process. The United States has been urging Pakistani authorities to respect the right to a fair trial, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. It should be noted that before the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union had also expressed concern over the sentencing of 25 civilians in Pakistan’s military courts.

The statement issued by the British Foreign Office said that the United Kingdom respects Pakistan’s sovereignty over its legal proceedings, but the trial of civilians in military courts lacks transparency and independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial. The United Kingdom called on Islamabad to “fulfill its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

The European Union in a statement yesterday expressed concern over the sentences handed down to 25 citizens by a Pakistani military court. The EU Ambassador to Pakistan, Renee Cioneca, shared a statement by the EU Foreign Affairs Spokesperson on X, which said that these decisions are seen as a violation of Pakistan’s commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). According to Article 14 of the ICCPR, everyone has the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent, impartial and competent tribunal, and is also given the right to effective legal representation. The statement said that countries benefiting from the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), including Pakistan, have voluntarily committed to effectively implement 27 international core agreements, including the ICCPR, in order to maintain GSP+ status. Speaking to the private TV channel Geo News regarding the concerns of the European Union, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan's constitution and courts have the capacity to resolve internal issues. The Pakistani nation knows how to resolve its internal problems. On the other hand, the PTI has announced to challenge these sentences, declaring them to be contrary to the constitution and law. Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan said in his video statement that in any religious society in the world, military courts neither try nor pronounce verdicts on citizens.