PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has stayed the execution of eight terror convicts by suspending the death sentence awarded to them by military courts.

Different benches of the court heard petitions challenging the convictions of these militants and summoned the record of their cases from the defence ministry.

Two of the petitions were heard on Thursday, while others were taken up by the benches in the last few days.

All petitioners claimed that early this month they were informed by the police about the conviction and imminent execution of their relatives.

They added that the convicts were innocent.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mehfooz on Thursday held preliminary hearing into a petition of Jahan Sahee, who challenged the conviction of her husband, Fazle Maula.

Arif Jan, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client’s husband was taken into custody by the security forces in 2010 in Swat and that his whereabouts hadn’t been known since then.

He said the petitioner had sent applications to the relevant authorities for the purpose, but to no avail.

The lawyer said recently, her family was informed by the relevant police station that her husband was sentenced to death by a military court on account of terrorism and that the family should meet him in the Kohat jail as he would be executed soon.

He said the petitioner didn’t know under what charges her husband was tried.

The bench also suspended sentence of another convict, Sherin Badshah of Swat, and called the records of his trial.

Wife of the convict, Hussain Bano, filed a petition requesting the court to set aside his conviction saying he was not given a fair trial.

Her lawyer said the convict was handed over to the personnel of 24 Baloch Regiment in 2009 and several people of the area were witness to it.

He added that he was traced in an internment centre after many years.

The lawyer said the petitioner was informed by the relevant police station earlier that month that her husband was in prison and was sentenced to death.

Another petitioner, Alam Sher of Swat, claimed that his brother, Sher Rehman, was handed over to officials of 18 FF regiment in 2009.

He said he had remained missing and was later traced in an internment centre and now they came to know that he was convicted by a military court.

Petitioner Hakeemzada claimed that his brother Bakhtiar was taken into custody in Swat by security forces in 2011 and that family members had a meeting with him at an internment centre in 2016.

He said the police informed him that his brother had been sentenced to death by a military court and would be executed soon.

The court stayed his execution directing the defence ministry to produce records of his case.

Arif Jan, lawyer for petitioner Shamim, said his client’s son, Rasool Mohammad, had been convicted by a military court.

He said the convict and his brother, Asghar Khan, were taken into custody by the security forces in 2008.

The lawyer said last year, the body of Asghar was handed over to the family after he died in custody.

Another petitioner, Abdul Jalil, claimed that his son, Khaista Mohammad, was wanted by the security forces and therefore, he surrendered in 2009.

He said his son was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case.

Another petitioner, Shakeel Ahmad, challenged the conviction of his father, Usmanzada, by a military court.He said his father was a labourer and was picked up by the security agencies in Karachi in 2011 and that the family met him in Swat internment centre in 2015.

Khursheed Begum filed a petition against the conviction of her husband, Nasir Khan.

She said her husband was handed over to officials of the 24 Baloch Regiment in 2009 and that the family members met him at an internment centre in 2016.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2018