ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court suspended the Peshawar High Court's (PHC's) order to released a number of persons allegedly involved in terrorist activities. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, on Monday heard the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's (KP's) appeal against the grant of bail to Lal Jehan and seven other accused, allegedly involved in terrorist activities.

The apex court was apprised that the accused are in the Internment centers since 2017. Justice Mushir observed that the trial court had awarded them sentence for involvement in terrorist activities.

However, the PHC in January 2020 had granted them bails. Advocate General KP Shumail Ahmed Butt argued that the accused could not be released on bail as their detention in the internment centers is under the Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance 2019.

He contended that a five-member larger bench of the apex court had suspended the PHC judgment regarding that law, wherein, the KP provincial government was directed to notify all the internment centres as sub-jails. He said as long as the internment order of the accused under the Action (in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance 2019) was in the field they could not be released.

He requested the bench to fix that matter with the federation's appeal against the PHC verdict regarding the Action (in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance 2019). The bench accepting the request ordered the office to fix the case along with the federation's appeal against the PHC judgement on the Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance, 2019.

Earlier, Justice Mushir questioned why the accused were not released after the judgment of the PHC verdict. The advocate general KP argued that the accused were arrested for allegedly committing heinous crimes, adding if they were released then they would again be involved in anti-state activities. The case was adjourned for two weeks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020