PHC stops execution of man convicted by military court

PESHAWAR: A division bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday suspended the execution of a man from Swat who was awarded death sentence by a military court.

One Fazal Malik had filed a writ petition in the PHC against the verdict of the military court on November 8. The military court had awarded death sentence to his brother Fazlur Rehman on the charges of attacking the security forces.

The petitioner said his brother had surrendered in Swat in 2010 as there were fake cases against him. He said the whereabouts of his brother weren’t known once he surrendered. He added that their family came to know through the media about the military court’s verdict against his brother.  The petitioner stated that his brother was not given the right to fair trial.

The petitioner through his legal counsel told the court that Fazlur Rehman was highly educated and his two sons were doctors. He pleaded to the court to suspend the verdict of the military court.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Lal Jan Khattak accepted his plea and suspended the verdict of the military court. Meanwhile, a division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ikramullah stopped the National Accountability Bureau from arresting the contractor in the case of purchase of furniture for the Workers Welfare Board.

 The contractor Kifayatullah had filed a writ petition in the apex court that the Workers Welfare Board had to pay him Rs40 million. The court after hearing arguments stopped the NAB from arresting the contractor and directed it to submit its reply in the case.