The Supreme Court Tuesday issued directives to Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt to produce trial court record relating to two facilitators convicted in the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack case by February 23. A military court had awarded death sentence to Taj Muhammad and Ali Rehman for their facilitation to the attackers of the APS Peshawar incident whereas two others including Muhammad Imran and Qari Zubair were awarded capital punishment for attacks on a security check post and a mosque in Nowshera, respectively.
Appearing before a three-member bench led by Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh in appeals filed against conviction of the military courts, the AGP told that all the appellants were not awarded death penalty maliciously. A deputy of the JAG branch of the Pakistan Army Colonel Jamshed appeared before the court and said that Chief of the Army Staff has turned down appeals of Taj Muhammad and Ali Rehman in the current matter.
During the course of proceedings, the court was informed that senior advocate Abdul Latif Afridi, counsel for Muhammad Imran and Qari Zubair was not present due to which Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh plainly observed that the court shall not adjourn the case through extending stay order in the matter and asked the counsel to ensure his presence during next date of hearing. He also said that the court is examining appeals after the 21st Constitutional Amendment vigilantly. Hearing of the matter was adjourned till February 23.