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Military courts in Pak's K-P to try attack on Malala

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Press Trust of India Peshawar
A total of 91 terror cases, including attacks on Peshawar airport and teenage child rights activist Malala Yousafzai, will be heard in the first phase by the three military courts set up in northwest Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

As many as three military courts have been setup in the province to try suspects in terror cases, days after the Pakistani government lifted the moratorium on executions after the Taliban school massacre here.

The judges of military courts, today directed the provincial police chief Nasir Durrani to provide details of 91 terror cases registered in different police stations of the province, police sources said.
 

Following the direction from the military courts - set up in Peshawar, Swat and southern districts of the province - the Inspector General issued directives to the district police officers to submit details of terror cases to the police headquarters.

The police, after finalising the cases of terror suspects, will refer them to the military courts.

In the first phase, the military courts will hear the cases of attacks on Peshawar airport, CID police station and child rights activist Malala Yousafzai.

Pakistan's army announced the setting up of nine military courts in the country to hold speedy trials of terrorists on January 9, two days after the Parliament passed a law to amend the Constitution and the Army Act to form military courts to try civilian terrorism suspects.

The decision to set up the military courts was taken by political parties after pressure mounted on the government and army to take solid action against militants in the wake of the Peshawar school attack last month in which 150 people, mostly children, were killed.

In December 2012, Pakistani security forces foiled an attempt by the Taliban to storm an air force base in Peshawar and killed 10 militants. A policeman and four civilians were also killed in the incident.

In October the same year, Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in Swat for advocating girls' education.

Seventeen-year-old Malala, who now lives and studies in Birmingham, became a global icon after the incident and was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace prize last year.

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First Published: Jan 21 2015 | 7:55 PM IST

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