ISLAMABAD: The issue of Ehsanullah Ehsan, a former spokesperson of theJamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), once againechoed in the Senate when the interior ministry on Friday told the upperhouse of the parliament that the former terrorist leader would be tried ina military court.
State Minister on Interior Talal Chaudhry provided this information whileresponding to a question by Senator Farhatullah Babar on the detention andtrial of Ehsan, and the nature of cases against him.
The state minister said that it had already been decided that Ehsan wouldnot be pardoned. “Relevant institutions have decided not to pardon orrelease Ehsanullah Ehsan,” he said, adding that the relevant agency doesn’twant to hide Ehsan; instead, it wants him to face a legal course of action.“They would not have made his video public if they wanted to keep him outof sight.”“The relevant intelligence agency publicised his video so people could seehis confessions; this shows that the agency wants action against Ehsan,which will be taken as per the law of the land,” he added.
“Ehsan had surrendered to an intelligence agency; they can tell more abouthim. If the house desires, we can ask the relevant ministry to produce moredetails,” he said, without naming the Defence Ministry.
Senator Tahir Mashadi, who was presiding over the session, directedChaudhry to approach the ministry in this regard. “The people of Pakistanwant to know about the beast,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in his written reply toBabar’s question had made it clear that civilian agencies were not lookinginto the matter. He added that Ehsan’s case would be sent to a militarycourt after approval by the relevant committee in this regard.
Ehsan was associated with the TTP and served the outlawed organisation asits spokesperson. In 2014, after a split in the TTP, Ehsan had become aspokesperson for JuA — what was then a newly formed splinter group of theTTP.
He had claimed responsibility for the [attack on the Army Public School]that took place in December, 2014. In April 2017, the Inter-Services PublicRelations (ISPR) had announced that Ehsan surrendered to Pakistan’ssecurity agencies. Later, the army had released a video in which Ehsanclaimed that terrorist organisations were being “used” by India andAfghanistan.
In December 2017, the Peshawar High Court had barred the government fromreleasing Ehsan. The decision was taken by a two-member bench of the courton a writ petition filed by Fazal Khan, father of a student killed in theDecember 16, 2014 Army Public School attack.
The petitioner believed that the government was planning to give clemencyto the ex-militant, who is reportedly in the custody of security agencies.