MULTAN, March 14: Release of five of the six convicts acquitted by the Lahore High Court in the Mukhtar Mai rape case had to be stopped at the eleventh hour reportedly on the orders of the apex court.

A division bench of the LHC at its Multan chapter had acquitted Faiz Muhammad, Ramzan Pachaar, Allah Ditta, Fayyaz and Ghulam Farid on March 3 last while deciding fate of the appeals against the verdict of the Dera Ghazi Khan Anti-Terrorism Court.

The Dera ATC had handed down death on Aug 31, 2002, to six of the 14 accused in the case challaned by the police. The ATC had acquitted rest of the eight accused for want of evidence against them.

However, the Federal Shariat Court suspended the LHC order viz-a-viz acquittal of the five convicts saying that the high court had no jurisdiction to hear appeals in the cases pertaining to Hadood Laws. But, the duty judge of the Dera ATC issued release orders to the Dera central jail authorities on Monday of the five acquitted in compliance with the LHC orders. The Dera central jail authorities had started making arrangements for the release of the accused acquitted with their relatives present outside the jail to welcome them. A police team from Muzaffargarh was also seen inside the jail premises. There were reports that the accused would be detained under MPO-3 on the orders of provincial home department in case they were released.

But, the wait came to an end when the jail authorities said that they had received an order of the apex court through fax message that orders of both the LHC and the FSC had been stayed. Jail Superintendent Kazim Baloch told Dawn that the accused acquitted by the high court would not be released now in the light of the apex court orders.