Three Senior Officers, Including Corps Commander, Retired Without Pension Over Negligence in Jinnah House Attack, Attorney General Reveals

Islamabad: The Supreme Court has concluded hearings on intra-court appeals challenging the decisions regarding civilian trials in military courts, with a verdict set to be delivered later this week.
During the proceedings, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan completed his arguments, after which the constitutional bench led by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan confirmed that the ruling would be announced within the same week. The military courts case was heard by a seven-member constitutional bench, which discussed the detailed accounts of the attacks on military installations on May 9.
The Attorney General disclosed that between 3 PM and 7 PM on May 9, a coordinated assault took place on 39 military installations across the country. These included 23 sites in Punjab, eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Sindh. Key locations targeted were the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Corps Commander’s Office in Lahore, the Air Force base in Mianwali, and several ISI offices in cities like Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Sargodha.
He also mentioned that three senior military officers were retired without pension as a result of negligence during the Jinnah House attack. Among those retired were a Lieutenant General, a Brigadier, and a Lieutenant Colonel. Furthermore, 14 other officers were criticized for their performance, with the Attorney General stating that they would not be promoted further due to lack of confidence in their abilities.
Justice Jamal Mandokhel noted that the question before the court was not whether a crime had occurred, but rather the appeal related to the military court’s decisions. He asked the Attorney General to focus on the appeal aspects.
The Attorney General responded that while the question of guilt was not in dispute, it was essential to address the matter. He clarified that military action was taken against the officers who showed negligence in handling the May 9 attacks. He also stressed that no criminal charges were filed against the officers, as departmental action was taken instead.
Justice Azhar Rizvi commented that during the execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, people protested in various ways, but no one resorted to destroying public property, unlike the events on May 9. Meanwhile, Justice Musarat Hilali raised a critical question regarding the breach of Jinnah House’s gate, inquiring if it was opened from inside or breached by external forces. The Attorney General promised to verify and provide an answer regarding the incident’s specifics.