Pakistan to Prosecute Terrorism Suspects in Military Courts

Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, announced on Thursday that following the massacre of students at a school in Peshawar, suspects of terrorist crimes will henceforth be tried in special military courts. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Sharif made this announcement during a televised speech on the fourth of Dey, after meeting with leaders of political parties and senior military commanders in Pakistan. The Prime Minister stated that the new military courts will be operated under the supervision and responsibility of military officers. Nawaz Sharif emphasized, 'The Peshawar attack shocked our nation. We will not allow the blood of our children to be wasted.' During the attack on December 25, militants from the Pakistani Taliban killed 149 people, including over 130 students, at an elementary school in Peshawar. In response to this incident, the Pakistani army has intensified attacks on tribal areas of the country, which are the stronghold of the Taliban, and has also resumed the implementation of the death penalty. Since then, six individuals have been executed in the country on charges of committing terrorist crimes. The Prime Minister stated that the military courts will operate for the next two years and has called for changes to existing laws. In this context, the United States strongly condemned the Taliban's attack on the school in Peshawar.