Pakistan: lower house approves military trials for terror suspects

(Vatican Radio) In Pakistan, the lower house of the legislature has passed a constitutional amendment allowing the use of military courts to try terror suspects, in the wake of last month's school massacre in Peshawar. The Taliban attack on the 16th of December left 152 people dead, including 133 children. The use of military tribunals to try terror suspects is something that has generated controversy in Pakistan. Both the military and the government have said that the use of such courts is a response to extraordinary circumstances and will remain in practice for only two years. 

Also in the wake of the Peshawar attack, Pakistan has lifted a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Human rights groups say the measure will not be an effective tool in the country's fight against terrorism, and that it will in fact contribute to the exacerbation of violence. The military, meanwhile, has increased the intensity of operations against militants, especially in the country's northwest.