ISLAMABAD, JAN 16, (DNA) – Owing to the time-tested obsession of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with special courts to quickly dispense justice to dangerous criminals, the federal government is putting in place adequate legal tools and instruments to achieve the objective if no parliamentary consensus was worked out on the military courts.

In this connection, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s statement that separate laws are being framed for terrorists and those involved in sectarian violence is an unambiguous pointer to the fact that he and his ministry will play the lead role in introducing a fast track system of dispensation of justice in cases involving terrorism. Even when the military courts functioned for two years, the interior ministry used to examine, scrutinize and select the cases, which were recommended by other authorities including provincial governments.

A senior cabinet minister told The News that in the first instance, the government’s effort is to hammer out an agreement on extending the powers of the military courts to try civilian terrorists of all hue and colour, which lapsed on Jan 7 as the sundown clause in the 21st constitutional amendment became operative.

But he conceded that given the strong opposition by a majority of political and parliamentary parties there is little or no likelihood that a consensus would be arrived at further involvement of military courts in trying the “jet black” terrorists.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami are firmly opposed to the extension of the authority of the military courts and consistently ran a campaign to the effect. The stand they have taken has not left any room for a compromise.

The government’s dilemma is that it is in no position to amend the Constitution single-handed to give powers to the military courts as it doesn’t have the requisite two-thirds majority in the parliament.

Even if it is able to manage such a tally in the National Assembly with tremendous difficulty, it doesn’t have this number in the Senate, controlled by the opposition especially the PPP, which is in no mood to cooperate with the government.