“The imposition of Article 245 cannot be used for political purposes,” said the petition.

The plea added that the trial of civilians in the military courts was against fundamental rights. “The Constitution gives every citizen the right to a transparent and fair trial,” it said.

“Thousands of workers and leaders have never been tried in a military court,” it said and urged the court to declare imposition of Article 245 and declare the crackdown as “null and void”.

On May 10, the interior ministry approved army deployment in Islamabad, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to address the deteriorating law and order situation in major cities across Pakistan.

The decision was taken a day after massive protests broke out in the wake of PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest, though he later got bail from the court.

“The government took the decision to exercise the powers conferred under Article 245 (functions of armed forces) of the Constitution and Section 4 (3) (ii) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (to discharge such functions as specified in the said act),” said the ministry’s notification.