These courts were established under the Pakistan Army Act 1952 as a response to the growing threat of terrorism and insurgency in the country.
[5] Military Courts were again set up in Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2014 Peshawar school massacre to dispense speedy justice to terrorists.
[6] In January 2017, at the end of the originally stipulated period, a further amendment was made to the constitution to allow the military courts to function for two more years.
[9] In some instances protestors targeted military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and Corp Commander house at Lahore.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have urged Pakistan not to prosecute civilians in military courts.
[14][15] HRW has documented a catalog of human rights abuses stemming from the prosecution of civilians in military courts in Pakistan, including a clear disregard for due process, lack of transparency, coerced confessions, and executions after extremely unfair trials.