F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has rejected plea seeking formation of a full court for hearing case of civilians’ military trials.
Pronouncing the decision reserved on Tuesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial maintained “Summer vacations are in progress so full court formation is not possible until September.”
CJP Bandial further said the six-judge larger bench currently hearing the case will continue to proceed.
“The objections will be removed with the formation of the full-court bench,” Faisal Siddiqui Advocate said while presenting his arguments in the court a day earlier.
On the other hand, the lawyer for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman objected to the formation of a full-court bench. “At this time, forming a full-court bench is tantamount to prolonging the suspension of fundamental human rights,” the PTI’s lawyer said.
After apex court’s decision on full court plea was announced on Wednesday, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan came to the rostrum and informed the bench: “Yesterday, Faisal Siddiqui’s plea for the full court was heard. As far as this case is concerned, all assurances including those of providing facilities to all the detainees have been given so far.”
“The detainees are being given the right to a fair trial including that of meeting their families and to have a lawyer. No one’s crime in the May 9 incidents is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty,” he added.
“Yesterday, Latif Khosa said that a person was barred by the judicial magistrate from appearing before him. He also stated that the detainees were mistreated,” he further told the court.
“None of the 102 detainees was mistreated while being produced before the judicial magistrate. The dignity and self-respect of every person is being taken care of. I assure [you] that none of the detainees have been mistreated,” the attorney general refuted the allegations of Latif Khosa.
