RAWALPINDI, Jan 8: Former superintendent and deputy superintendent of Adiala jail on Saturday filed an application seeking acquittal in the abduction case registered against them by Saddar Bairooni police for alleged disappearance of 11 acquitted prisoners from the Adiala jail in June last year.

Trial Court Judge Arif Khan put off the hearing till January 17 after Saeedullah Gondal, former superintendent, and Khalid Bashir, former deputy superintendent, contended that they should be acquitted in the case of alleged abduction of 11 prisoners who went missing from the jail after their acquittal in four different terrorism cases.

The suspended jail officials through their lawyers in the application maintained that the Supreme Court resolved the issue of the disappearance of Dr Niaz, Mazharul Haq, Shafiqur Rehman, Mohammad Aamir, Syed Abdul Saboor, Syed Abdul Majid, Syed Abdul Basit, Shafique Ahmed, Said Arab, Gul Roz and Tehseenullah after their families moved the court for their recovery.

The former jail officials further maintained that the intelligence agencies had stated before the apex court that the men were arrested from the operation areas and would be prosecuted under Army Act for attacking military personnel and military installations.

The intelligence agencies in the SC had denied the claim of the relatives of the 11 prisoners that they went missing from the jail after the high court ordered their release setting aside their detentions on May 29 last year. The two officials were booked in the abduction case on the order of the Lahore High Court (LHC) after the families of the missing prisoners alleged that the jail authorities handed over Dr Niaz and others to the intelligence agencies personnel.

On the other hand, the Saddar Bairooni police in its investigation report submitted in the trial court had concluded that the 11 prisoners were taken into custody by the intelligence agencies from the courtyard of the jail in the presence of the jail officials. — Our Reporter