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| India-Pakistan |
| Sufi's sons challenge detention |
| 2009-08-26 |
| [The News (Pak) Top Stories] The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday reserved judgement for a day on a writ petition filed by the three sons of Maulana Sufi Mohammad against their detention. A single bench, comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, reserved judgement in detention case of the three sons of Sufi Mohammad, chief of the banned religious outfit Tanzim Nifaze Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM). The court may announce the verdict in the case today. Three sons of Sufi Mohammad namely Ziaullah, Rizwanullah and Hayatullah, who have been kept in the Peshawar Central Prison after they were arrested under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), had challenged their detention in the court. The petitioners along with Sufi Mohammad were arrested from their residence in Sethi Town on July 22 by the law enforcement agencies. On July 27, they were sent to Peshawar Central Prison under Section 3 of MPO for one month. Atlas Khan, the counsel for the petitioners, contended that the detainees were sons of Sufi Mohammad, but they are innocent and their arrest on the order of the district coordination officer (DCO), Peshawar, was illegal. He argued that the DCO had issued a stereotyped order lacking any solid grounds for the arrest of the petitioners and there was no threat to public order from the petitioners. Additional advocate general Fazlur Rehman, however, argued that the detainees were part of a defunct organisation and they were threat to peace. Justice Ejaz Afzal had asked representatives of the DCO and home department to produce any material if they had any against Sufi Mohammad's sons, but they had failed to do so. After detaining Sufi Mohammad in Peshawar, a case was registered against him under different sections in Saidu Sharif police station. At least 16 cases were also lodged in Dir and Swat police stations against the TNSM chief. The government had promised to withdraw these cases after the peace deal that collapsed in May earlier this year and these are yet to be withdrawn formally. |
| Posted by:Fred |