Pak SC debunks 'serving army officials immune from police scrutiny' myth

Pakistan's Supreme Court has said the police have power to register case against serving army officials.

The comments from the SC came in response to the Military Intelligence (MI)'s objection over the superior courts and the police's jurisdiction to proceed against a serving army officer.

Supreme Court's Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan made it clear that the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc) or any other law does not restrict police from registering cases against serving armed forces officers.

According to the Daily Times, a two-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Jawwad S Kahwaja, made the observation while hearing the petition filed by Abida Malik whose husband Tasif Ali went missing on November 23, 2011 from the Sadiqabad police precinct in Rawalpindi.

During the hearing, Ibrahim Satti, the counsel for MI, said that the armed forces' officials were under oath not only to defend the constitution, but also to maintain true allegiance to Pakistan.

Satti said that laws related to the Pakistan Army could not be declared as void by the apex court on the basis of fundamental rights.

He said actions taken by the armed forced were protected under the constitution and claimed that the armed forces had a special status in the constitution, the report added.