Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the Peshawar High Court’s order to release 196 military court convicts, and sought details of the cases against them.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, heard a petition against the PHC’s verdict given on June17.
The apex court inquired whether the convicts were released from jail following the Peshawar High Court’s decision. The additional attorney general informed the Supreme Court that convicts had not been released as of yet. The AAG then requested the decision of the Peshawar High Court to be suspended.
Justice Qazi Amin remarked that the convicts were convicted after a trial by military courts, he added that each case will have its own particular evidence and facts. Suspending PHC’s order, Supreme Court adjourned the hearing till July 24.
On July 11, a two-member bench, comprising of Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth and Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar, issued a 426-page detailed judgment on the appeals of the convicts. The court allowed their release if they were not involved in any other case.
The judgment said that the convicted persons were neither allowed to meet their relatives nor given a chance to defend themselves. It also pointed out that there were no direct first information reports or complaints registered against them, and neither were any investigations carried out to prove the allegations against them.
The judgment added that the convicts were not given the right to file an appeal on their own. Hence, the judgment described the entire proceedings against them as a violation of relevant laws and human rights.
