Musharraf attack convict released, high court told

LAHORE: Punjab Prisons Department on Thursday informed the Lahore High Court that a man convicted by a military court in 2003 Musharraf attack case had been released two weeks ago.

A provincial law officer furnished a report of Sahiwal high security jail before the court and stated that the authorities released the convict, Adnan Khan, on February 4 on completion of his sentence.

However, the convict’s mother contradicted the report and told the court that her son did not reach home. With tears rolling down on her cheeks, Saira Khan said the jail authorities had not intimated the family about the release of Adnan. She alleged that the prisons department had filed a false report.

Anyhow, Justice Shahid Hameed Dar disposed of the contempt of court petition in the light of the department’s report. 

Saira Khan had filed the petition through Advocate Mujahid Waseem seeking action against the jail authorities for not releasing his son as directed by single bench.

The counsel stated that the court directed the jail authorities to recalculate sentence of Adnan, including government amnesties/remissions awarded to him and fix his probable release date. The mother of the convict had filed a habeas corpus petition challenging detention of his son despite completion of sentence in former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf attack case.

Petitioner’s counsel Mujahid Waseem had contended that the convict had undergone jail term handed down by a military court but the authorities were delaying his release. He said military court awarded 15-year punishment to Khan but did not give him benefit of reduction of imprisonment under Section 382-B of Cr.P.C. The lawyer said detention of the convict was illegal as he had undergone his sentence. 

A single bench of the high court in Rawalpindi had dismissed a petition of the convict to this effect, however, a division bench later allowed his intra-court appeal directing the jail authorities to impart him benefit of Section 382-B of Cr.P.C and other government remissions. The former president had escaped a life attack on Dec 14, 2003 near Jhanda Chichi bridge, Rawalpindi.