ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi bench, on Monday dismissed a petition against the conviction of a former airman in the Pervez Musharraf attack case.

The petition was filed by Amir Ali, a brother of the former corporal technician of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Nawazish Ali.

He was convicted by the PAF tribunal in 2004 for planting an explosive device at a bridge to assassinate Gen Musharraf on December 14, 2003. After the attack, Nawazish along with five others were arrested and charged with six offences ranging from hatching a conspiracy to an attempted murder.

When the two-member division bench of the LHC took up the petition, Inamur Rahim, the counsel for the petitioner, said the maximum punishment for these offences was a lifetime imprisonment.

However, the PAF tribunal had awarded the accused persons death sentence which was upheld by the air vice marshal.

The bench, however, asked the counsel as to why he did not challenge the proceedings soon after the tribunal’s judgment. The counsel replied that the PAF authorities did not provide the charge-sheet and the trial proceedings to the accused at that time. The relatives of the convict were given the documents recently, he added.

The bench, however, dismissed the petition, under Article 199 (3) of the constitution, the court cannot take up any matter related to the armed forces personnel.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play