The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought attested copies of the trial record from authorities concerned relating to seven missing persons from outside the Adiala Jail, currently in protective custody in Peshawar and Haripur prisons. Resuming the hearing, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry directed the Home Secretary Khyber Paktunkhwa to ensure a meeting of the missing persons with their family members.
During the proceedings, all missing persons, including Mazharul Haq, Niaz Ahmed, Abdul Majid, Abdul Basit, Muhammad Shafique, Shafiqur Rehman and Gul Roz, were produced before the court. They submitted that they had been taken to three different prisons, including Kohat, Bannu and Peshawar in 15 days.
They informed the bench that due process of law was not observed as sentence was announced against them in absentia saying no copy of the sentence order was provided to them. They were informed by the jail administration about their sentence. To which, a member of the bench Justice Ejaz Afzal noted after going through the record that the prisoners had been sentenced on May 4 when they were scheduled to appear before the court. He questioned how a prisoner could be sentenced without a trial and under which law a political agent had the authority to do so. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry observed that no one could be denied free and fair trial under Article 10-A of the Constitution and asked the authorities concerned to ensure the prisoners' constitutional rights.
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