Khabar Bureau
India has got a shot in arm vis-à-vis Kulbhushan Jadhav case sub judised in International Court of Justice as a United Nations body slammed the system of military courts in Pakistan. India is fighting its case against Pakistan in the ICJ against the death sentence awarded to Jadhav.
A report published by United Nations Committee against torture observed that Islamabad should desist from using military courts for terrorism-related prosecutions and transfer all the pending cases against civilians to civilian court from military courts.

Civilians sentenced by military court should be allowed to appeal the case in a civil court, the UN body added.
India and Pakistan went face-to-face at International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday over death sentence awarded to Jadhav by a Pakistani military court in a trumped up case of espionage. India has denied the claims and questioned the authenticity of the “confession” video uploaded by Pakistan as proof against Jadhav, saying it was made using methods of torture.
The report expressed concern regarding benefits being enjoyed by all personnel associated with military courts under amendment to the Army Act, 2015 which gives them retrospective immunity from prosecution for actions taken in good faith.
“The Committee is also concerned by the exclusive jurisdiction of the military justice system over soldiers accused of offences against civilians. It regrets that the State party provided no information suggesting that members of the military, intelligence services, or paramilitary forces have been prosecuted and punished for acts amounting to torture as defined by the Convention,” the report said.
The UN report also raised serious concerns over frequent reports of torture by police and other authorities in Pakistan. It cited reports claiming that members of Pakistan’s military forces and intelligence forces have been implicated in several cases of extra-judicial executions involving torture and enforced disappearances.