The Supreme Court has asked Pakistan's Attorney General to help it decide whether it can still hear former FATA cases, meaning cases from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The request came on Friday, while the court was hearing an appeal by a man who received a 14-year prison term over alleged support for Taliban fighters. The bench also asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial law officer and the appellant's lawyer, Mehnaz Advocate, to address the same legal questions.
Why the jurisdiction question matters
FATA was a group of tribal agencies along the Afghan border until the 25th Constitutional Amendment placed the area under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province that now administers it. Because the region is no longer a separate unit, the courts must settle which forum should take up matters that began there before the change. The answer will shape how pending cases from the area move forward, which is why the bench wanted legal input before going further.
What the hearing showed about the evidence
Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, who sat with Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi, asked whether any militants had been picked up from the appellant's home. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa law officer, Arshad Hussain Yousafzai, told the court that a joint investigation team had prepared a report on that point. The judge noted that the allegation concerned supplying food to the militants, and he questioned whether any arrests had really taken place at the house.
What happens next
The court has not ruled on the jurisdiction question. It is waiting for legal submissions from the Attorney General, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa law officer and the appellant's counsel. Until those arrive, the question of which court may hear former FATA matters remains open, and the notice does not decide the appeal itself.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Supreme Court ne Attorney General se qanooni madad maangi hai taake yeh tay ho sake ke purane FATA ilaqon ke mukadmat kaun si adalat sun sakti hai. Yeh case ek shakhs ki appeal se juda hai jise Taliban ko khana dene ke ilzam mein 14 saal qaid ki saza mili thi. Court ne abhi is sawal par faisla nahi kiya hai. Aam logon ke liye iska matlab hai ke purane kesoon ki sunwai kis adalat mein hogi, yeh abhi tay nahi hua.
