SC halts release of 196 military court convicts

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) ruling ordering the release of 196 people convicted by military courts and issued notices to all the respondents.

A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin and Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan heard the case against June 17 Peshawar High Court verdict and sought details from the government over cases against the convicts.

During the course of the proceedings, Justice Qazi Amin said the 196 convicts were sentenced after a trial by military courts and each case had its own particular evidence and facts. He asked whether the convicts were in jails following the Peshawar High Court verdict.

The Additional Attorney General (AAG) responded that the convicts had not been released as of yet. He requested the court to suspend the Peshawar High Court’s decision. Suspending the Peshawar High Court’s order, the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing till July 24 (Friday).

On July 11, the Peshawar High Court overturned the convictions of 196 individuals who had been sentenced by military courts, and ordered their release. The court, in its verdict, mentioned that those people were accused on the basis of a confessional statement and not provided a chance at fair trial.

A two-member bench, comprising PHC 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 the convicted people were neither allowed to meet their relatives nor given a chance to defend themselves. It also said there were no direct first information reports (FIRs) or complaints registered against them, and neither were there any investigations carried out to prove the allegations against them.