Saad Rizvi case sent to LHC CJ

LAHORE: Justice Farooq Haider of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday sent the file of a petition against the detention of Hafiz Saad Rizvi, leader of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), to the chief justice for a decision whether the case needs to be heard by a single or a division bench.

The petitioner’s counsel said the provincial government with mala fide intention extended the detention of Rizvi under Section 11 EEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 for another 90 days. He said matters relating to the anti-terrorism law are heard by division benches. The judge sent the file to the chief justice and adjourned the hearing till September 9.

Ameer Hussain, a relative of Rizvi, had filed the petition, saying that the detention was extended after a review board of the high court judges turned down a government request to extend the detention of Rizvi under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960. He asked the court to declare the act of the government illegal and order the release of Rizvi.

The detention of Rizvi had come after his organisation (TLP) staged sit-ins across the country, demanding that the government expel the ambassador of France in the wake of blasphemous cartoons.

The protesters had turned violent and attacked police personnel. The government detained Rizvi under the ATA 1997 after his 90-day detention expired on July 10.