13 March 2004	Saturday	21 Muharram 1425

ISLAMABAD, March 12: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed two different petitions challenging the detention of Al Qaeda activists in Pakistani jails.

Ibrahim Paracha, a former MNA from Kohat, had challenged the detention of the activists after US-led allied forces attacked Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

The petitioner said the Peshawar High Court had wrongly held that he had no locus standi to challenge the detention of foreign nationals taken into custody on the charges of indulging in activities prejudicial to Pakistan's interests.

In the second constitutional petition, Mr Paracha had challenged the arrests in tribal areas of suspected Pakistani jihadis who had gone to Afghanistan to defend the Taliban government.

The petitioner had stated that advocates Syed Zafar Ali Shah and Rafiq Rajwana would represent him. But both of them were absent when the petitions were taken up on Friday by a bench comprising Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Faqir Mohammad Khokhar.

Advocate-on-Record M.S. Khattak requested the court to adjourn the cases to allow the petitioners' counsel to argue the case.

The court, however, observed that the matter was pending since May 2002 and it would not adjourn it any more.

Ibrahim Paracha argued in person for a few minutes before the court dismissed the petitions.