US wants Pak to have safeguards in military courts

The US wants Pakistan to have enough safeguards to ensure due process of law is followed in the new military courts Islamabad has decided to set up for speedy trial of terrorists in the country.
The US also wants Pakistan to have a sunset clause -- a measure that provides that the law shall cease to have effect after a specific date -- for establishing military courts, a State Department official said.
"We expect that Pakistan will do so in a way that safeguards due process and understand that there are several safeguards built in for that very purpose, including a sunset clause," a State Department official told PTI, requesting anonymity.

Special military courts have been set up to fast-track terror-related cases after the Peshawar school massacre that left 150 people, mostly students dead, in December.
The move by Pakistan to set up the courts, however, has been criticised by human rights organisation.
The official said Pakistan is still finalising the process of implementing these courts, so there are a lot of details that are still being worked out.
"This is an issue that we will continue to discuss with the government of Pakistan and Pakistani civil society," the official said.
"Ensuring that there is an effective, credible way to prosecute and punish terrorists is a critical part of a sustained counter-terrorism effort.