Federal Law Minister Azam Tarar said that the ‘law’ would decide if Imran Khan will be tried in a military court and the decision would not be made by the government.

Speaking to Asma Shiraz in Faisla Aap Ka on Aaj News on Wednesday, Tarar refrained from answering in affirmative or negative on whether the PTI chief’s case would be heard by a military court.

“The law will decide, it is not your choice or my choice,” Tarar said.

However, he added that the government had left the matter ‘wide open’ and it was the decision of the provincial governments to decide who would be prosecuted. He also said that commanding officer of the court comes to a trial court to get custody of anyone to be tried by the military court, so legal procedure is followed.

“The government and the military agreed that no new courts will be established and existing laws will be used to prosecute anyone,” he said.

Tarar also said that government representatives had met the diplomatic corps today in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they had been assured that international legal protocols regarding fair trial and right to counsel will be followed for people being tried for the incidents of May 9.

He also added that out of the 2,500 or so people to be prosecuted, 58 people had already been handed over to miltiary courts.

Those asking for elections do not want them now: Tarar

The law minister also added that given the events of the recent days, those previously asking for elections probably do not want them to be held now.

Referring to the election delay case and whether the court would hold the government in contempt, Tara said things had changed and the parliament would heading towards announcing the budget.

“What room is there for bargaining now, a lot of water has passed under the bridge,” Tarar said.

He also questioned why the Surpeme Court had not followed up on elections in KP with the same zeal as Punjab when their assemblies had been dissolved two days apart.

Tarar also said that the government had negotiated with the PTI over five sessions, two of which included many off-the-record matters on the Supreme Court’s direction. Elections had been set to beheld by September 30 and only some details such as the day of the dissolution of the assembly in July had to be ironed out. However, Imran Khan had blown up the talks by asking for immediate dissolution of assemblies.

He said that constitution allowed for emergency provisions to extend the assembly’s tenure in case of financial or law and order crises, but he was hopeful that the assembly would complete its tenure on August 12 and elections will be held on time.

New law will most certainly benefit Nawaz

Tarar also said that his comments about the newly promulgated SC Reviews bill had been taken out of context and the new law will most certainly allow Nawaz Sharif to get relief from the court.

“Prima facie, Nawaz has a good case (in lifetime disqualification case and party presient case),” Tarar said.

He added that the new law was a ‘litigant friendly law’ and would benefit 100s of people not just Nawaz or Jahangir Tareen.

He also said that at the time of Nawaz’s sentencing, the general political situation of the country had become a factor in the case and since the scope of review was already limited, Nawaz had not even pursued reviews in two cases.