Pakistan Announces Military Courts

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced plans to establish military courts to try terrorism-related cases on Thursday, following the Taliban attack on a military school that left at least 148 people dead, including 132 children. Sharif met with political leaders, intelligence chiefs and Pakistan's army on Wednesday to outline a national plan on terrorism, which includes creating the courts for a two-year period, implementing a new counterterrorism force and prohibiting banned militant groups from operating under new names. Pakistan has stepped up its campaign against terrorism after the Taliban attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar on Dec. 16.