PESHAWAR, April 27: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday ordered to set free on bail a suspected would-be suicide bomber as the government claimed that he had already been de-radicalised.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel directed the brother of the accused to appear before the political agent of Bajaur Agency for fulfilling the legal requirements of furnishing surety bonds to his satisfaction.The accused, Khalid Khan, was an eighth-grade student at Government High school Nawagai in Bajaur Agency. His brother, Gul Rehman, had sent an application to the chief justice regarding his detention which was converted into a writ petition.
The petitioner claimed that his brother was taken into custody on Nov 20, 2009, by the personnel of Bajaur Scouts and since then he had been in illegal detention.
The deputy attorney general, Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand, and a representative of Frontier Corps appeared before the bench. Mr Mohmand stated that the security agencies had information that the teenaged suspect, Khalid Khan, had been trained by the militants as a suicide bomber.
He stated that after he was taken into custody the security agencies had worked on his rehabilitation. He stated that they would not object to his release provided his relatives furnish guarantee that they would keep an eye on him and in future he would not join the militants.
Meanwhile, the bench disposed of a writ petition challenging alleged illegal detention of a resident of Sulemankhel here in Badhber area as all the security agencies expressed ignorance regarding his whereabouts.
The bench directed the petitioner that in future if he received any information about the detainee he could again move the court.
The petition on behalf of the detainee, Lateefullah, was filed by his father Wasiullah. He alleged that his son was taken into custody by the security agencies and local police on Dec 14, 2009, and since then his whereabouts were not known.
The director (legal) of Ministry of Defence, Lt-Col Sarfaraz appeared and contended that the detainee was not in custody of the agencies functioning under his ministry. He stated that they had already filed affidavit in this regard.
Mr Iqbal Mohmand stated that the ministry of interior had also expressed ignorance about him.
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